Brewers Acquire Right-Handed Pitcher Aaron Civale in Exchange for Minor-League Infielder Gregory Barrios: Milwaukee’s Struggles with Rotation Continue
The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league infielder Gregory Barrios. The Rays announced the trade on Wednesday morning. Civale, 29, was previously traded last deadline from Cleveland to Tampa Bay. His time with the Rays saw him struggle, posting a 5.17 ERA and a 3.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 27 starts. He has had issues with giving up home runs, allowing 1.6 per nine innings pitched.
Despite having a strong offense and solid bullpen, the Brewers have struggled with their rotation this season. They rank 18th in starters’ ERA, 29th in innings pitched, and have a K/BB ratio of only 23rd in quality-start percentage. The team’s bottom-ten payroll may limit their ability to improve the rotation without increasing spending. However, they currently hold a comfortable six-game lead in the National League Central and hope to maintain it until at least one or two of their struggling pitchers can regain their form before playoff season begins.
On the other hand, the Rays are also facing pitching woes this season with a record of 43-42 and struggling to keep up with their division rivals in terms of starting pitcher performance.
Barrios is an exciting prospect for the Brewers who played well in High-A this season batting .317/.361/.423 with one home run and 16 stolen bases. He was ranked as the 20th best prospect in Milwaukee’s system by Baseball America.
With Zach Eflin being one potential candidate for trade due to his struggles this season, we can expect more changes to Tampa Bay’s rotation soon.
The Brewers will hope that Civale can improve upon his previous struggles with Tampa Bay and become an asset to their already strong team if he can provide consistent performance on the mound.
In summary, both teams are facing challenges when it comes to improving their rotations this season but have different approaches towards achieving success in their respective divisions.
