Aaron Civale Requests Trade From Milwaukee Brewers

On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that the Milwaukee Brewers would be calling up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski from the minor leagues to make his MLB debut on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Following the news, fans speculated how the starting rotation would shake out given the number of healthy arms they currently have on the big-league roster. With Misiorowski now in the fold, perhaps the Brewers were entertaining the idea of moving to a six-man rotation.

As it turns out, that would not be the case.

On Wednesday, skipper Pat Murphy told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy that the plan was to move longtime starter Aaron Civale to the bullpen for the time being in order to make room for Misiorowski in the rotation. It was clear that the decision to move Civale to the bullpen was the best path forward for this ball club.

Being a starter for his entire major-league career, Civale reportedly pushed back on the decision. Murphy even stated that, “Yeah, he’s not happy,” when speaking on how the veteran arm handled the news.

Well, Civale’s frustration became abundantly clear the next day.

On Thursday morning, reports surfaced that, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Civale has formally requested a trade from the Brewers.

It is quite rare to see a player request a trade in Major League Baseball, but it’s especially unusual for a player to do so while they are struggling relative to career averages and are already a part of a competitive ball club.

But the trade request isn’t a product of the team’s performance. Instead, Civale is displeased with the move given what it could cost him in the long run.

Civale, who is pitching to an ERA just under 5.00 this season, is in a contract year, meaning he’s set to hit free agency at the end of the season. A move to the bullpen could potentially cost him some earnings when he hits the open market.

Since being traded to Milwaukee back on July 3, 2024, Civale has made 19 starts with the ball club, pitching to a 3.84 ERA with a 4.96 FIP. Now, it appears as if his Brewers tenure will soon be coming to an end.

A Struggling Civale Displeased With Move to the Bullpen

On the one hand, you can see where Civale is coming from. He has his best interests in mind and wants to maximize his career earnings, and the best way for him to do so is to remain a starter until he hits free agency.

At the same time, it hasn’t been a particularly stellar season for him.

Civale is pitching to the tune of a 4.91 ERA across five starts and 22 innings pitched. He hit the injured list with a strained hamstring following his first start of the season, where he gave up five runs across three innings. Since his return on May 22, he’s made four starts while pitching to a 3.32 ERA while allowing 19 hits and six walks.

His ERA since returning from injury hasn’t been bad necessarily, but he’s often allowed plenty of traffic on the basepaths, leading to some stressful starts. In turn, he’s currently sporting a career-high WHIP of 1.36.

Civale is a contact-oriented pitcher whose success is largely predicated on pitching to soft contact. When he’s avoiding barrels, he can be an effective pitcher. When he’s not, though, fans have seen him go through his fair share of struggles on the mound.

Sporting a just 25.8% ground-ball rate and a 20.2% strikeout rate, Civale’s peripherals are concerning, highlighted by a 5.53 FIP, 4.94 xFIP, and 4.65 SIERA. He’s made it work at times, but it hasn’t always been stress free.

Across his seven big-league seasons, Civale is pitching to a 4.06 ERA to go with a 4.24 FIP and a 1.21 WHIP. Those numbers are very indicative of the type of pitcher Civale has been throughout his career.

Back in 2023, Civale threw to a career-best 3.46 ERA with the Guardians and the Rays. He took a step back in 2024, though, pitching to a 4.36 ERA. Civale was sporting an ERA above 5.00 before being traded to the Brewers in July of last season, where he would throw to a 3.53 ERA the rest of the way.

Knowing the type of pitcher Civale has been this season — and the type of pitcher he has been for the vast majority of his career for that matter — a move to the bullpen makes some sense.

He’s struggled to work deep into games (he’s failed to go more than 5.1 IP in any of his five outings, and he’s worked into the fifth just twice), and the Brewers had better options knocking at the door who could put them in a better position to compete for the time being.

But baseball is a business, and while it may have been the best move for the team, Civale felt as if a transition to a relief role was not in his best interest with the hopes of seeking a payday this winter.

Civale is tied with Freddy Peralta for the highest salary on the pitching staff at $8 million this season. Given the demand for starting pitching at each trade deadline, surly there will be suitors for his services in the coming weeks.

For the Brewers, they have plenty of pitching depth highlighted by several young, intriguing arms and experienced veterans who are finally returning from injury. Their strong pitching has been a key to their success this season, and they’ll continue to lean upon that pitching depth the rest of the way.