Rays trade struggling rookie Aaron Civale to Brewers for promising prospect

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rays traded struggling starter Aaron Civale to the Brewers Wednesday morning, opening up space to upgrade what could soon be a crowded rotation, save money and add a solid inside-field prospect in Gregory Barrios.

The Rays acquired Civale from Cleveland at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for promising first baseman Kyle Manzardo. The 29-year-old didn’t perform well for Tampa Bay, going 4-9 and 5.17 in 27 games, completing six innings just four times.

The deal saves the Rays nearly half of Civale’s $4.9 million salary for this season and exempts them from his arbitration-paid salary increase for 2025 to about $7 million, his last year before free agency.

That also creates a hole in the starting lineup, which will initially be filled by Shane Baze, who has been playing well for Durham’s third-tier team and is set to start for the Rays in place of Civale on Friday in Texas. By the end of July, the Rays also expect to add left back Jeffrey Springs, who is working his way through the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

The deal results in Barrios, a 20-year-old, being ranked 21st on MLB.com’s list of top prospects in the Milwaukee organization. Barrios will work for Bowling Green, the Rays’ first-team affiliate.

“We’re entering a period here where we have, in our view, more options, more healthy options, in a sense, than we have right now,” Rays president of baseball operations Eric Neander said by phone. “I want to be very careful with that, because we know how quickly that can change. That’s part of why we brought Aaron in the first place.”

“But we felt that the opportunity to get a prospect that our scouts and analysts really liked, that fits our system really well, when you look at that, when you have a guy like Shane Baz who I think developmentally for him to continue to grow and develop, I think it’s important for him to have those opportunities in the big leagues, that combination puts us in an attractive position.”

Barrios, a native of Venezuela, received a $1 million bonus to sign with the Brewers, and he has risen to a higher level every season since. He is batting .325 this season for Wisconsin’s Class A team, with one home run, 34 RBI and an OPS of .796. MLB.comThe scouting report describes his defense as follows: “The 6-foot-1 quarterback moves like water at shortstop with a strong first step, sound instincts and impressive actions. He’s capable of making a lot of throws from deep in the hole, and his on-field performance will likely fuel his rise.”

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There are a lot of things he loves about Rise, Neander said.

“He’s a great short-area defender, has great communication skills and at 20 I think he has the chance to grow into a strong enough player to be a solid regular,” Neander said.

After Civale’s unimpressive showing with the Rays last season, the team’s view was that a deep dive into the data showed he wasn’t as bad in 10 games for them as his 2-3, 5.36 on-base numbers indicated, nor as good in 13 games with Cleveland as his 5-2, 2.34 indicated.

Despite a good start with the Rays this year, going 2-1 and 2.12 points in his first three starts, Civali has struggled for much of the season, including a four-game streak in which he failed to reach the fifth inning (allowing 20 runs in 18 2/3 innings). He has a 2-6 record and 5.07 points this season, and has made 14 starts since his last win. The Rays are 5-12 in their starts this year.

“We know where the run blocking results were and we think he’s a better pitcher than that,” Neander said. “These things can happen over the course of 12 months. Just like the previous 12 months, I think he was on the other side of the spectrum when it came to blocking the run better than he probably was.”

“I think the reality is he’s probably the type of pitcher that’s been sitting between their totals the last couple of years. Look at that, he’s a really good starting pitcher. I think he is. So I wish him the best of luck and I expect him to be that way for Milwaukee.”

Veteran starter Zach Eflin said the team will miss Civali.

“It’s never easy to lose a player and a person as good as him,” Evelyn said. “He brought so much to this team, in terms of chemistry, leadership, talent… I’m very sad, honestly. I love ‘Seve.’ It was fun playing with him last year.”

Baz was held out of Tuesday’s scheduled start with Durham, initially to provide depth for the starting lineup with the possibility of playing two games or using the relief bullpen heavily this week in Kansas City due to a rain forecast. The Rays called up Justin Sterner on Wednesday to provide depth; Baz will be added to the roster Friday.

A strained oblique muscle in the spring — due to lifting weights — delayed Buzz’s return from Tommy John surgery in September 2022. That gave him an option to play in Durham after completing his rehab assignment, as the Rays also wanted to limit his workload. He’s improved over time, and in five starts with the Bulls in June, he was 3-0, 1.57, allowed 20 hits and 10 walks in 23 innings, but he also struck out 35.

“He’s throwing the ball well, his results have been better, and I’m encouraged by that,” said head coach Kevin Cash.

Springs played his first five qualifying games with Durham on Wednesday, going four innings without scoring and averaging a 2.71 earned run average over 13 1/3 innings. He is expected to remain with the Bulls at least through the break leading up to the All-Star Game, July 15-18.

The Rays also have starting options in Durham with lefty Joe Rock, who has gone 4-3, 4.11 in 14 games since being acquired from Colorado; and lefty Tyler Alexander, who began the season in Tampa Bay’s lineup and is 0-3, 3.64 in five games in the third division.

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