Brewers-White Sox Trade Looking Like Win For Milwaukee

The rise of Jacob Misiorowski created a ripple effect in the Milwaukee Brewers’ franchise.

Misiorowski’s arrival pushed Aaron Civale to the bullpen, which miffed Civale enough to request a trade in June. Reportedly, Civale wanted to be sent to a team that would feature him as a starting pitcher. The Brewers front office promptly, and hilariously, sent Civale to one of baseball’s worst teams — the Chicago White Sox — while getting a valuable asset in return. The June 13 deal sent infielder Andrew Vaughn back to Milwaukee.

Vaughn’s been awesome for Milwaukee. He homered in his first at-bat with the club and has gone 6-for-14 so far in a Brewers uniform, driving in nearly a dozen runs already. Meanwhile, Civale has struggled in Chicago.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Curt Hogg posted a striking review of the trade to X on Sunday:

“Aaron Civale has given up 18 runs in 5 games with the White Sox. Andrew Vaughn has driven in 10 runs in 5 games with the Brewers.”

Vaughn’s immediate production has been a pleasant development for the Brewers, who are expected to be without Rhys Hoskins for another five weeks or so due to a thumb injury. What seemed like a deal catered to Civale ended up being a crucial and savvy move for the Brew Crew.

As Milwaukee continues to look like a legit contender, Civale might be wondering whether starting for the 32-64 White Sox is a better gig than his previous one.