Teams hungry for starting pitching depth now have an early lifeline on the trade market. Aaron Civale has been moved to the bullpen and has responded by asking to be traded from the Milwaukee Brewers, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Civale, 30, has pitched in 122 games since making his MLB debut in 2019, and all have been as a starting pitcher The pending free agent was notified of his demotion to the bullpen this week after the Brewers decided to call up their top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski, who is starting Thursday night.
Rosenthal reported on Civale's trade request as his agent, Jack Toffey, relayed the pitcher's desire to seek an opportunity to remain a starting pitcher somewhere else.
“The conversation was very professional,” Toffey said Thursday. “I just very respectfully said that Aaron would really like an opportunity to continue his career as a starter. He’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year."... "Aaron is not angry or banging his fist on the table,” Toffey said. “But it’s a little confusing because he did not pitch his way out of the rotation whatsoever. It’s more of a subjective choice the organization is making.”’
The Brewers acquired Civale in 2024, trading infield prospect Gregory Barrios to the Tampa Bay Rays for him. The veteran delivered 14 strong starts with the Brewers, ending the season with a 3.53 ERA in 74 innings for Milwaukee. Civale suffered a hamstring injury in his first start of 2025, but since returning, the right-hander has recorded a 3.32 ERA in four starts.
An organization rich in pitching depth will now be the focus of teams trying to jump the market and Civale's agent hinted at trade conversations already occurring with the Brewers in The Athletic's story.“I’ve heard from other teams, through their channels of communication, that they have a plethora of starting pitching and are looking for trade partners, maybe not just on Aaron, but maybe another pitcher,” Toffey said. “That’s my understanding.”
There are several teams who should take a chance on Civale, who comes with a modest $8 million salary this season and a solid seven-year track record of dependable results.
4. Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have made a charge in the AL, winning 13 of their last 16 games and jumping atop the Wild Card standings. They're also now just four games back of the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.
Although the Blue Jays have been the hottest team in MLB, they're still having trouble rounding out the rotation with Max Scherzer's absence. Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios have been good, leading the starting rotation, but Bowden Francis has struggled, pitching to a 6.12 ERA in 13 starts.
Despite the efforts from Bassitt, Gausman, and Berrios, the Blue Jays currently rank 26th in MLB with a 4.51 ERA from the starting rotation. The top three in the rotation have combined for 20 of the team's 23 quality starts.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The team that seemingly has it all is actually in desperate need of pitching. Tony Gonsolin recently joined a group of 14 pitchers on the injured list for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That includes fellow starting pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki.
Right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May are the only pitchers on the Dodgers' staff to make double-digit starts in 2025. Even if Civale isn't needed in the postseason, the Dodgers simply need enough arms to get through the regular season.
The Dodgers are no strangers to relying on their depth to just get by. In 2024, only two pitchers tossed more than 100 innings for Los Angeles: Glasnow and Gavin Stone. That could take a toll on the bullpen, though, and through June 11, the Dodgers have gotten the second fewest innings from starters, 321 innings, while their relievers have combined for 295 innings, by far the most in MLB.
Civale could bring some stability to the Dodgers' rotation and at least lessen the burden on some relievers before October.
2. Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins will be without Pablo Lopez for an extended period of time after he was sidelined with a shoulder injury in early June. Zebby Matthews has also been sidelined with a shoulder strain, leaving Simeon Woods Richardson as the fill-in starter.
At 36-31, the Twins are hanging in the playoff picture, holding a narrow advantage over the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card standings. Civale could step right in and provide Minnesota some breathing room in the rotation as they await the return of Lopez.
The Twins rank near the middle of the league with a 3.73 from their starting pitchers, but the rotation has been regressing in the past three weeks. Since May 21, Minnesota's rotation has posted a 4.49 ERA with only five quality starts among the group.
1. Chicago Cubs
It's rare to see division rivals partner up on trades, especially when both are still in contention during the season. However, as unlikely as it would be for the Chicago Cubs to trade with the Brewers it wouldn't necessarily be a blockbuster deal.
Civale is a true rental at the trade deadline and wouldn't break the bank for the Cubs, who may only need to give up a mid-tier prospect at most.
It'll be tough, but the fit is obvious for the Cubs. They're still waiting for Shōta Imanaga to return from the injured list, while Colin Rea and Ben Brown's rollercoaster seasons are driving fans mad. Maybe there's a swap with Chris Flexen involved as the veteran right-hander has excelled out of the bullpen for the Cubs this season, posting 17.1 shutout innings in 10 relief appearances.
Flexen could step right into Civale's role in the Brewers' bullpen, while the Cubs add a solid back-end starter to their rotation that would take the pressure off some of the young Cubs' pitchers.