Chicago White Sox Trade Plays Out In Unpredictable Fashion

The Brewers are scheduled to host the Cubs on Saturday at 7:08 p.m. CT at American Family Field in a game that will decide who advances to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Vaughn and Civale could very well play a role in sending their team to the next round.

As of Friday afternoon, the Cubs hadn't announced a starting pitcher for Game 5, and they have a few options. Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon may not be available after starting Games 4 and 3, respectively, but it should be all hands on deck for the rest of the Cubs' pitching staff.

Cade Horton had been the Cubs' best starting pitcher during the second half of the season, but he did not make the NLDS roster due to a fractured rib. Shota Imanaga was reliable for most of the regular season, but he's given up six earned runs in 6.2 postseason innings across two games, both of which the Cubs lost.

That leaves Civale, along with Colin Rea, Michael Soroka and Ben Brown as Cubs pitchers with starting experience on the playoff roster. Rea has had the best season of those four, ranking third among all Cubs pitchers with 1.9 WAR.

But managers typically have short leashes on pitchers in the playoffs, potentially leading to an important role for Civale. The Cubs' high-leverage relievers should all be available to pitch, too, so it's no guarantee Civale is used. But what a story that would be if he and Vaughn faced each other in an win-or-go-home game for both sides.

Oddly enough, that already happened in Game 1 of this series. The Brewers jumped out to an 8-1 win, so the Cubs turned to Civale in the second inning after struggles from Boyd and Soroka. Civale gave up an infield single that scored a run credited to Soroka's line, but he pitched well the rest of the way.

Despite the 9-3 loss, Civale provided 4.1 shutout innings with three hits, no walks and three strikeouts. He faced Vaughn twice and induced two fly outs, representing his lone appearance of the 2025 playoffs so far.

With the White Sox, Civale posted a 5.37 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP with 55 strikeouts and 26 walks in 67 innings. He joined the team during a season filled with changes to the starting rotation due to injuries and ineffectiveness.

Civale wasn't outstanding, but simply providing five-plus innings in most games was a steadying presence. And clearly the Cubs saw enough from the seven-year MLB veteran –– who also played two seasons with the Brewers –– to claim him off waivers on Aug. 31 and put him on the NLDS roster. He's been sharp on the north side, with a 2.08 ERA and 0.53 WHIP in 13 regular season innings out of the Cubs' bullpen.

Vaughn's breakout stretch

While the White Sox mostly got what they expected out of Civale, the Brewers have to be pleasantly surprised by the boost they received from Vaughn. He began his Brewers career with a five-game hit streak, sparking a 64-game regular season stretch with a .308/.375/.493/.869 slash line, each of which would be career-high numbers in a full season.

Vaughn also belted nine home runs and and totaled 46 RBIs with the Brewers, compared to five home runs and 19 RBIs in 48 games with the White Sox. He cooled off toward the end of the regular season, but is now 3-for-10 with a three-run home run, three walks and zero strikeouts in the playoffs.

No one could have seen this coming based on their time with the White Sox, but Vaughn and Civale are now in a position to help their teams take another step toward the World Series.