Rumor: Will the Guardians Trade Aaron Civale?

[Brock Beauchamp]

As Twins fans, this is a situation worth monitoring closely. With Shane Bieber out for at least a few weeks (ie. past the trade deadline), it's possible the Guardians will pivot and trade Aaron Civale. Civale is still under team control for 2.5 more seasons but now that he has become arbitration eligible, it's possible Cleveland attempts to move him to either shore up their farm system or - probably more likely - to bolster their anemic offense that makes the 2023 Minnesota Twins look like Murderer's Row.

Once again, this is only a possibility because the Guardians churn out young, cost-controlled starters at a rate unlike any other team in baseball.

View full rumor

[nicksaviking]

They should because year-to-year he's an extremely unreliable, high contact soft-tosser.

So here's hopping they DON'T sell high on him and rue the decision next year, like the Tigers did when they held onto the similarly smoke-and-mirrors Matthew Boyd in 2019.

[ashbury]

There's a reason he hasn't put up big innings pitched numbers: he's been placed on injury status (scroll to the bottom at the linked page) so many times 2021-23 that the Guardians renamed it the Aaron Civale List, in his honor.

Send them Mahle for him.  They might accept him, TJ surgery and expiring contract and all, as the better injury risk.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I expect Cleveland to hold, but yeah their lineup is 50 feet of crap worse than the Twins.

[USAFChief]

7 minutes ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

I expect Cleveland to hold, but yeah their lineup is 50 feet of crap worse than the Twins.

Dunno...they have the two best hitters on either team.

The rest is dreck, to be sure. 

[Dman]

I think we will know more the closer to the deadline we get.  If they are still only two and a half back I don't see them selling him off.  With 2 and a half years left he would likely bring quite the haul but he is not a great pitcher and is injured a fair bit. I don't think he is an arm you want to rely on down the stretch but that is just me.

If they are keeping Bieber they could certainly afford to deal Civale if the return peaked their interest. He feels like the odd man out at the start on next year if you ask me.  If they are going to try and trade Bieber in the offseason it seems a little risky to get rid of Civale as well.  They have depth but as they found out this year you need lot's of pitching depth to make it through the season.  I still they hang onto him unless they get a pretty good haul.

[jkcarew]

Fwiw…

they’re lineup is extremely young…youngest in baseball. They are not producing (overall) currently. But there may be several of them that they still believe in…that they would want to give another year, etc. In other words, they would FIGURE to be desperate for a bat or two based on to-date 2023 results, but it’s possible due to the youth, they may not be as desperate as it might seem.

With regard to Civale, specifically, I don’t know. I will say that Cleveland seems to know pitching. So, if they were to sell Civale, with that remaining control…I’d say buyer beware.

[strumdatjag]

Let’s try to keep this conversation Civale. The Twins don’t need another Starting Pitcher, the Twins need more batters who can get on base and some more to drive them home.   
I’m sure Joe Ryan and Rocco would want it to be said like Jerry at the end of this long, strange trip in Frisco this weekend, “If I knew the way, I would take you home.”

[weitz41]

I'd guess Biebers injury makes it less likely they trade him. They've got just as much of a chance to squeak into the playoffs as the Twins with him on the team. They've got the prospect depth to pick up some line up help without dealing from their starters.