Brewers rumors: Speculations swirl after agent's cryptic comments

After being moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen, former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale wanted out of the organization. He requested a trade and his wish was quickly granted with a deal being struck with the Chicago White Sox. The 30-year-old, who is in a contract year, has been a starter his entire career, which included 19 starts for the Brew Crew. Over that time frame, he had a 3.84 ERA, which is slightly better than his career 4.06 ERA over seven seasons and 122 starts. 

Civale took Milwaukee's decision to move him out of a role he has been in his entire career personally, but also smartly realized that it was in his best financial interest to continue operating as a starting pitcher. However, before Civale's departure, his agent, Jack Toffey, shared insights he had been hearing from league sources, potentially creating unease within the Brewers clubhouse.

Milwaukee Brewers trade rumor speculations swirl following cryptic comments from Aaron Civale's agent

In a publication at The Athletic by Ken Rosenthal, Toffey said, “I’ve heard from other teams, through their channels of communication, that they (Brewers) have a plethora of starting pitching and are looking for trade partners, maybe not just on Aaron, but maybe another pitcher."

While Toffey did not reveal which Brewers pitcher might be on trade block, his accusation of the team looking to deal from a position of strength makes sense. With Jacob Misiorowski impressing in his MLB debut, Chad Patrick being a serious Rookie of the Year candidate, Quinn Priester turning the corner recently, Logan Henderson shining when called up, Robert Gasser on the mend, and Tobias Myers trying to figure things out in Triple-A, the organization has plenty of promising, young, and controllable options for the foreseeable future.

This could mean that some veteran players are susceptible to being traded this summer. Freddy Peralta has had his name tossed around already this year, but dealing away the team's ace wouldn't be good for the clubhouse. Southpaws DL Hall and Aaron Ashby are two others that come to mind, with Ashby perhaps being slightly more difficult to move due to him being owed at a minimum $14.4 million through the 2027 season. But perhaps the most likely candidate is veteran lefty José Quintana, whose expiring contract makes him the perfect candidate for a mid-season trade.

Like Peralta, Quintana might be too valuable to the Brewers’ playoff chances to send away at the deadline. His 3.35 ERA, which was down to 2.66 before Quintana's most recent start, in which he allowed five earned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals, is third among Brewers starters who have made more than four starts, sitting behind Peralta and just behind Patrick. A reliable, veteran presence with playoff experience would be tough to part with, but it would open the door for Henderson or Myers to rejoin Milwaukee's rotation in addition to netting a modest return.

If Toffey's sources are correct and Milwaukee does trade another starting pitcher this summer, how the front office handles the situation could certainly impact the team’s chemistry. Dealing Civale was easy as he requested to be out, but as the Josh Hader trade revealed in 2022, striking the wrong chord in an MLB clubhouse at the trade deadline can have a colossal effect on the team's morale during the second half of the season. Toeing the line between improving the team for the long term and not sacrificing short-term success is once again general manager Matt Arnold and the Brewers front office's difficult task prior to next month's trade deadline.