The post White Sox trade Andrew Vaughn to Brewers for Aaron Civale appeared first on Sox On 35th.
Andrew Vaughn‘s time on the South Side has come to an end.
The White Sox have traded 1B Andrew Vaughn to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for RHP Aaron Civale and cash considerations. Civale requested a trade away from the Brewers earlier this week after being informed he was going to be moved to the bullpen.
“He had some really good moments, some good stretches,” said General Manager Chris Getz about Vaughn to Sun Times reporter Kyle Williams. “But it also came with some struggles.”
Civale, 30, is well-known to White Sox fans from his time in Cleveland. This season in 22 innings with the Brewers, he is 1-2 in five starts with a 4.91 ERA. He will likely have a relatively unimpeded opportunity to get back into the starting rotation, as he prefers, especially with Jonathan Cannon currently on the injured list with a lower-back strain. This move prevents the White Sox from needing to rush Cannon back.
Getz also said that a six-man rotation could be a possibility for the team, according to Williams. A fully healthy six-man rotation could feature Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon, Adrian Houser, Civale, and Shane Smith. This would allow for some extra rest, especially for Smith — who has never surpassed 94.1 innings in a season.
The surprise here is the end of Andrew Vaughn’s White Sox career. The 27-year-old was sent to Triple-A for the first time in his career earlier this season after starting the year hitting .189/.218/.314. He hasn’t fared much better in Charlotte, hitting just .211/.328/.351 in 67 plate appearances. The former third overall pick of the White Sox will head to Milwaukee with a career slash line of .248/.303/.407 and will get the chance to start fresh with a new organization, but remains in AAA after the team optioned him to Nashville.
Civale posted a 3.77 ERA across 76 starts with Cleveland from 2019-2023, but has struggled after a series of recent trades. The right-hander was shipped to Tampa Bay mid-way through the 2023 season in exchange for highly-touted prospect Kyle Manzardo. Civale carried a 5.17 ERA over 27 starts. His H/9 rose to 9.8 with the Rays.
Tampa moved the right-hander to the Brewers the following year, where his numbers saw an immediate improvement. Civale rocked a 3.53 ERA during his 14 starts with Milwaukee last season, and made an appearance in the Wild Card Series, firing three shutout innings in the Brewers’ Game One loss.
This year, Civale has done a good job of limiting hard contact. His average exit velocity (87.1) ranks in the 88th percentile of pitchers this season, and his hard hit percentage (34.8) is in the 81st percentile. The veteran has found little success elsewhere during his 22 innings this year.
His addition provides the Sox with much-needed innings. The team has added bulk-relievers Tyler Alexander and Owen White in recent days to a bullpen that already included multi-inning pitchers like Mike Vasil, Jared Shuster, and the recently DFA’d Bryse Wilson.
The thin starting pitching depth in AAA — where only Mike Clevinger and the struggling Tyler Schweitzer remain as true starters — likely contributed to the team’s decison to target Civale.
Vaughn, meanwhile, will have to earn his way back to the majors from Triple-A ball. If he does find his way back to the show this season, he’ll likely struggle to find playing time. First baseman Rhys Hoskins has been Milwaukee’s best hitter by both OPS (.774) and OPS+ (118), while Christian Yelich has taken over as the Brewers’ DH.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided as the move becomes official, or if Chris Getz comments on the move at all. However, this is just another example of Getz moving away from the previous rebuild’s core, with just Luis Robert Jr. remaining from that group.
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Featured Image: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The post White Sox trade Andrew Vaughn to Brewers for Aaron Civale appeared first on Sox On 35th.