The Chicago White Sox sent Andrew Vaughn to the Milwaukee Brewers for Aaron Civale on Friday, and it’s a head-scratcher of a deal.
According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the White Sox are essentially swapping a former top prospect for a starter who had just requested a trade after getting bumped to the bullpen.
Here’s what doesn’t add up. Civale is 30 years old and sporting a near-5.00 ERA in five starts this season. That’s why Milwaukee was moving him to relief work before he asked out.
Vaughn, meanwhile, is 27 and was the No. 3 overall pick back in 2019. He’s not that far removed from being a productive major leaguer.
For a team that’s 23-46, it seems strange to give up on the guy with more upside in this swap.
Look, Vaughn hasn’t lived up to his draft position, but he’s got a .248 career average with 77 homers. That’s not terrible in today’s game, especially considering he’s been hitting in some pretty anemic White Sox lineups.
His best work came in 2022 and 2023 when he hit .271 with 17 homers and .258 with 21 homers respectively.
This season’s been rough, though. Vaughn was hitting just .189 with 43 strikeouts in 185 at-bats before the White Sox demoted him to Triple-A Charlotte. Things didn’t improve much down there – he was batting .211.
From Milwaukee’s perspective, this makes perfect sense. They’re getting a former top prospect who might just need a change of scenery. The Brewers have shown they can develop hitters, so why not take a flyer on Vaughn?
But what are the White Sox getting here? A 30-year-old who can hopefully eat some innings in another lost season. That’s not exactly an exciting return for someone who was once considered the crown jewel of their farm system.
The way I see it, this feels like the White Sox giving up on Vaughn a bit too early. Yes, he’s struggled, but he’s still young enough to turn things around. Civale, on the other hand, seems like a temporary fix for a team that should be thinking long-term.
It’s possible the White Sox know something we don’t about Vaughn’s development, but on the surface, this looks like they’re selling low on a guy who still has potential left in the tank.
