The Milwaukee Brewers have traded veteran right-hander Aaron Civale and cash considerations to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Andrew Vaughn. The move comes just a day after Civale’s agent confirmed his client had requested a trade from the Brewers — with that stemming from his relegation to the bullpen in favor of rookie Jacob Misiorowski.
Civale, 30, had made five starts with the Brewers this season. He had also missed nearly two months on account of a hamstring injury suffered in his first outing. Across 22 innings, he compiled a 4.91 ERA (81 ERA+) and a 2.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio. For his career, he’s amassed a 103 ERA+ and a 3.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Civale is slated to be a free agent this winter, and it’s clear that he wants to showcase his abilities as a starter.
The White Sox are an unexpected landing spot for Civale. They entered Friday with a 23-46 record on the year, rendering them without playoff aspirations. It would stand to reason that the White Sox instead view this as a potential positive arbitrage situation: obtaining Civale now and letting him start could later allow them to trade him again at the deadline, perhaps for more than they’ve parted with to acquire him.
Vaughn, 27, will part with the organization that took him No. 3 overall in the 2019 draft. In 48 games this season, he’s hit .189/.218/.314 (49 OPS+). Those are meager marks for anyone, let alone a right-right first baseman. Coming into this year, he had posted a 101 OPS+ in his first four seasons at the big-league level.
To his credit, Vaughn has seen his share of hard-hit balls and pulled fly ball rate increase this year. Those traits could make him an interesting fit in Milwaukee’s ballpark, which plays favorably to right-handed power. It’s unclear where the Brewers intend to fit Vaughn into the lineup — for now he’ll head to Triple-A Nashville. Milwaukee already employs Rhys Hoskins and Christian Yelich at first base and DH, and using Vaughn in the outfield or at third base (the other positions he has experience at) does not seem likely. Vaughn is theoretically under team control for an additional season. It’s to be seen if the Brewers take advantage.
The Brewers came into Friday with a 37-33 record on the year, putting them 2 ½ games out of a playoff spot.
