Brewers pitcher wanted out of the NL Central and got the ultimate punishment

Jordan Campbell

Atlanta Braves v Milwaukee Brewers / John Fisher/GettyImages

The Chicago Cubs' National League Central rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, acted quickly in addressing the brewing drama with Aaron Civale. After the Brewers promoted star pitching prospect Jacon Misiorowski to the Major League level, Civale was moved to the bullpen. Civale wasn't a fan of that decision, and on Thursday, he requested a trade. The Brewers granted the request of Civale in a truly hilarious resolution.

The Brewers traded Civale to the Chicago White Sox on Friday, and in return, they will receive first baseman Andrew Vaughn.

The White Sox have traded 1b Andrew Vaughn to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Aaron Civale, sources tell ESPN.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 13, 2025

Aaron Civale's trade to the White Sox feels like a punishment.

Getting traded to the White Sox is the ultimate "be careful what you wish for" moment for Civale. Sure, Civale will now be a starting pitcher once again, but he will be doing so with one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. If anything, it feels more like a punishment for the Civale than it does his wishes being granted. Nevertheless, he wanted a trade, and he got one.

It wouldn't be a complete shock to find out that the Cubs made a call to the Brewers about Civale's status. The chances of the two teams working out a trade were likely minimal, but going back to this offseason, when the Cubs checked on Nolan Arenado's status with the St. Louis Cardinals, we know they like to check every box.

Honestly, it also wouldn't be a complete shock if the Cubs touched base with the White Sox on Vaughn either. While the Cubs don't have a need at the Major League level for a first baseman, they are thin at the position in the event of an injury to Michael Busch. No strangers to making deals with the White Sox in the past, it's possible the Cubs checked that box as well.

Once believed to be a building block to whatever it is that the White Sox are constructing, Vaughn's offensive production completely took a nose dive this season. In 193 plate appearances this season, before being demoted to Triple-A, Vaughn was slashing .189/.218/.314/44wRC+. Vaughn was selected with the No. 3 pick by the White Sox in 2019.

Jordan Campbell

For nearly 15 years, Jordan has been a workhorse across the FanSided network - including being the inaugural site expert for Cubbies Crib, as well as a stop at Da Windy City as the site expert. In addition to returning to be a Co-Site Expert at Cubbies Crib, Jordan was previously the Site Expert at Bear Goggles On. In the years since, Jordan has joined FanSided's full-time team, serving as a staff writer for the MLB division. Jordan's work can be seen across the MLB division, including a consistent presence on our Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Tigers sites. Since 2010, Jordan has dedicated his craft to providing insightful commentary on all things Chicago sports, and he has enjoyed his venture into all things Major League Baseball.