White Sox Trade Vaughn For Civale, A Potential Trade Piece

The Emma Lazarus sonnet commissioned for the Statue of Liberty speaks to the White Sox.

Aaron Civale, who was the third highest paid Brewer with an $8 million salary, isn’t poor but he certainly seemed tired earlier this week, when Pat Murphy moved him from the starting rotation to the bullpen. His reaction was to become a member of the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

The 30-year-old Civale asked the Brewers to trade him, and the White Sox are more than happy to have him. They add his upside while sending recently demoted first baseman Andrew Vaughn to Milwaukee.

General Manager Chris Getz is acquiring Civale not so much because he believes the veteran starter will make a difference this season but because he hopes he’ll pitch so well the next six weeks the White Sox will be able to swap him for a prospect or two before the July 31 deadline.

It’s a cash neutral move for a rebuilding team that opened the season with a $74.1 million payrolll.

The acquisition of Civale was first reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers adding the Vaughn piece and MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reporting the deal also includes cash from the Brewers to the White Sox, adjusting for the difference in salaries between Civale and Vaughn.

Civale, acquired by the Brewers from Tampa Bay last July, was squeezed out of the rotation for the Wild Card series against the Mets but threw three strong innings in relief. He entered the season as Milwaukee’s No. 3 starter but left a March 30 start with a strained left hamstring. He compiled a 3.32 ERA in four starts since returning on May 22 but lost his spot to top prospect Jacob Misiorowski.

Rookie manager Will Venable’s White Sox rotation is missing Martin Perez, who could miss the rest of the season with elbow issues, and second-year starter Jonathan Cannon, who has been on the Injured List since June 2 with a strained back.

Getz previously made a smart in-season move by adding 32-year-old right-hander Adrian Houser five days after he was released by Texas. The Rangers had signed Houser to a minor-league contract but weren’t happy with his work at Triple-A Round Rock (5.03 ERA in 39 1/3 innings).

He’s had instant success in Chicago, going 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA in four starts. He’s doing it with increased velocity on his fastball and new bite on his curveball, not mirrors or a trick pitch.

Civale seemingly presents at least as much potential for pitching coach Ethan Katz and Venable to develop. He threw a career-high 161 innings between Tampa Bay and Milwaukee in 2024, going 8-9 with a 4.36 ERA. He limits hard contract with a low-90s fastball and the ability to move the ball around with an oversized selection of secondary pitches, including a cutter that has been his trademark pitch.

Contenders like the Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Tigers and Astros are expected to target starting pitching in the July trade markets. There’s such a shortage across the majors – not to mention a limited number of teams willing to trade pitching — that Getz could receive a solid return if Civale and Houser present as reliable veterans capable of eating innings in August and September.

Vaughn, the third overall player selected in the 2019 draft, was hitting .189 when he was sent to Triple-A Charlotte last month. The White Sox viewed him as a long-term replacement for first baseman Jose Abreu but he produced a .243/.294/.401 slash line in 349 games the last three seasons, when he produced at essentially replacement level.

Vaughn is earning $5.85 million as a four-plus arbitration player this season. The Sox were almost certain to non-tender him after the season. Credit Getz for capturing some value for him. Civale’s work the next six weeks will likely determine how much value Vaughn returns.