Brewers' Aaron Civale requests trade after demotion to bullpen to make room in rotation for top prospect
Civale's agent called the request 'very professional'
•
2 min read
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Aaron Civale has requested a trade after being moved to the bullpen, his agent confirmed on Thursday to The Athletic. Civale was removed from Milwaukee's starting rotation to clear space for right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, one of the sport's more promising, if often frustrating, pitching prospects.
"The conversation was very professional," Civale's agent Jack Toffey said "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."
It's unclear if the Brewers intend to acquiesce with Civale's request. Toffey claimed that Brewers general manager Matt Arnold told him the front office was exploring options.
Civale, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Thursday, has compiled a 4.91 ERA (81 ERA+) and a 2.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio in five starts. He missed nearly two months on account of a strained left hamstring he suffered in his first start of the year.
"Throughout his career, he's been a successful starter in the major leagues, he helped us last year," Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters earlier this week while acknowledging that Civale wasn't happy being relegated to the bullpen. "He's been fine. ... Even though he's never done it, we think he can handle that. You look at Civale's third-time-around numbers, he might be better suited on this year's team right now, to disrupt everything else less, if he can be in that long relief role."
The Brewers were clearly concerned about overexposing Civale in his starts. He faced more than 18 batters -- that is, he went through the order more than twice -- in just two of his five outings. Here's a look at how Civale's through-the-order statistics break down over the last three seasons compared to the league average:
| Times through | Civale ('23-'25) | MLB average ('25) |
|---|---|---|
1 | .638 | .702 |
2 | .778 | .720 |
3 | .780 | .745 |
In theory, Civale could appeal to teams who need rotation help. He's under contract for the rest of the season and is slated to make $8 million overall, which would leave an acquiring team on the hook for a little over $4.5 million the rest of the way.
The Brewers, who enter Thursday with a 36-33 record, are the rare team with more starting pitchers than slots. Their rotation includes Freddy Peralta, Chad Patrick, Quinn Priester, Jose Quintana, and Misiorowski, who makes his MLB debut Thursday. They also have veterans Nestor Cortes and Brandon Woodruff working their ways back from injury.
