This Milwaukee Breweries have had the worst luck when it comes to having fit starting pitchers. Before the season even started, Brandon Woodruff was ruled out for the 2024 season. Wade Miley and Robert Gasser started the year on the injured list, both ended up as Brewers starters, and both underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.
In addition to those injured pitchers, the starting rotation has seen Jakob Junis spend nearly the entire season so far on the injured list. He made one start, went on the injured list, and was only recently able to return. Additionally, Joe Ross and DL Hall remain injured.
Despite these injury problems, the Brewers are 51-35 and in first place in the National League Central Division. But if they want to maintain their lead and make a deep run in the postseason, they will need fit and quality starting pitching.
Milwaukee Brewers trade with Tampa Bay Rays for starter Aaron Civale
Late last month, the Brewers acquired former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel from the Seattle Mariners. Although he didn’t play well in his first start with Milwaukee (allowing five runs in just four innings), he was solid last night in the Brewers’ 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. Keuchel pitched 5.1 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five.
Still, the Brewers felt they still needed more depth in their starting rotation. News broke Wednesday morning that they had traded minor league infielder Gregory Berrios to the Tampa Bay Rays for starting pitcher Aaron Civale:
RHP Aaron Civale was acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for INF Gregory Barrios. photo: twitter.com/TQ5xjtW0gG
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 3, 2024
Civale is 2-6 on the season with a 5.04 ERA. While those numbers may not inspire much confidence, Civale is 33-32 for his career with a 4.10 ERA.
Before being traded to the Rays, Civale was a pretty decent starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, going 29-23 with a 3.77 ERA in five seasons with them.
Maybe playing in Tampa Bay wasn’t for him.
Milwaukee Brewers have had success rescuing struggling veteran pitchers
As Greg Matzek from Radio station in Milwaukee, which drew attention on social media:
Aaron Civale: ERA of 4.10 over 6 MLB seasons.
Jordan Lyles: 5.22 career ERA. 8-1 with an ERA under 3.00 for the season. #Brewers in ’18/’19
Drew Pomeranz: 6.08 ERA with BOS in 2018 and 2.39 ERA with Brewers in 2019.
Gio Gonzalez: ERA of 4.57 with the Nats in 2018, but 3-0 for the Brewers with an ERA of 2.13.
— Greg Matzek (@gmatzek) July 3, 2024
The Civale trade is exactly the type of deal the Brewers are known for making during the season. If their pitching lab does for him what it did for the players listed above, it could be a massive move for the team.
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