The Milwaukee Brewers are in a strong position to earn a playoff berth once again this year, despite not making any major signings in the offseason. The performance from their pitching staff has been vital to their success so far.
Earlier this week, the Brewers promoted their top pitching prospect, Jacob Misiorowski, to the major league roster for the first time. They moved Aaron Civale to the bullpen to make room for the rookie in the starting rotation.
MLB Insider Feels Andrew Vaughn Could Resurrect His Career With Brewers Move
Civale refused to take the bullpen role, since he had never pitched out of the bullpen in the regular season during his MLB career. After signing a one-year, $8 million deal with the Brewers for 2025, he asked to be traded away from the team.
The front office accepted his request and promptly traded him to the Chicago White Sox along with cash considerations for Andrew Vaughn on Friday. The first baseman was moved out after four and a half underwhelming years in the major leagues.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes the move to the Brewers could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the former White Sox top prospect. Although he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, Rosenthal said Vaughn may be called up to the majors later this year.
“I do not know what has happened to Andrew Vaughn. The No. 3 pick in the draft not so long ago. Maybe he goes to Triple-A and finds himself a little bit and contributes to the Brewers down the stretch,” Rosenthal said on the “Foul Territory” podcast.
Is a career revival in the cards for Andrew Vaughn with the Brewers?@Ken_Rosenthal: “A change of scenery in this particular player’s case might be a very good thing because he’s not a player without talent.” pic.twitter.com/mr6fEPURsU
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 13, 2025
Vaughn was selected as the third overall pick by the White Sox in the 2019 MLB Draft and made his debut for the team less than two years later. However, he has mostly been a league-average performer despite playing more than 600 games in his career.
Vaughn has been especially poor this year, making his worst start to a season. He currently has a .189/.218/.314 slash line over nearly 200 plate appearances, with five home runs and an OPS+ of just 48, while also being a defensive liability.
Meanwhile, Rosenthal believes the trade will also turn out to be a good deal for the White Sox, who wanted a veteran arm in their rotation. He suggested they may shop Civale at the deadline to acquire prospects if he pitches well with the team.
“He did ask for a trade, and the Brewers honored his request. And it did happen more quickly than I’d have thought,” Rosenthal said. “The White Sox surely want a veteran starter, and they can flip Civale if he performs well over the next seven weeks.”
Milwaukee is in second place in the National League Central with a 38-33 record and sits just 1.5 games back of a wild card spot. Chicago was the worst team in the American League last year, and they remain in that position with their 23-47 record.