Former Guardians Pitcher Dealt to AL Central Rival in Surprising Trade

A former Cleveland Guardians pitcher is on the move once again, as Aaron Civale has been traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Chicago White Sox.

The Brewers and White Sox announced the move on Friday.

Civale requested a trade earlier this week after being demoted to the Brewers bullpen. In five starts for Milwaukee this season, he went 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA while allowing 23 hits and registering 19 strikeouts over 22 innings of work.

The 30-year-old, who played his collegiate baseball at Northeastern University, was originally selected by the Guardians in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Civale made his big-league debut in 2019 and saw his Cleveland tenure largely defined by inconsistency. After a strong rookie year in which he pitched to the tune of a 2.34 ERA across 10 starts, he then posted a 4.74 ERA in 12 starts the following season.

The East Windsor, Ct. native was essentially an every-other-year pitcher for the Guardians before finally being dealt from Cleveland to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023.

During his four-and-a-half year run with the Guardians, Civale registered a 3.77 ERA and 1.144 WHIP, also recording a 3.46 K/BB ratio.

He has not been quite as effective since, as he struggled in Tampa Bay and had a rather up-and-down stint with the Brewers between the midway point of 2024 (he was traded from the Rays to Milwaukee last year) and this season.

It seems rather odd that the White Sox chose to acquire a 30-year-old pitcher, but nevertheless, here we are.

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