Insider: Disgruntled Veteran Pitcher Would 'Love' to Play for Red Sox

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Veteran pitcher would love to play for Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox are not in a playoff spot, but still could be buyers ahead of the trade deadline.

An area of need for the Red Sox is the rotation. One player Boston could look to acquire is Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale. Civale was removed from the rotation and put into the bullpen, which led to him asking for a trade.

After Civale asked for a trade, Red Sox insider Chris Costillo revealed the veteran pitcher would love to play in Boston.

“It’s not his decision now but worth mentioning: We’ve been told Civale would absolutely love to pitch for the Red Sox at some point in his career,” Costillo wrote on X.

Civale is earning $8 million in his final year of club control as he is a free agent at the end of the season. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 5 starts this season. In his MLB career, Civale is 40-37 with a 4.06 ERA in 122 starts, and he would be a good fourth or fifth starter for the Red Sox.

Civale has played for Cleveland and the Tampa Bay Rays. He was traded from the Rays to the Brewers on July 3, 2024, for Gregory Barrios.

Civale Requests Trade From Brewers

Civale was expected to be a key part of Milwaukee’s rotation this season, but that is no longer the case.

The 30-year-old was moved to the bullpen and requested a trade from the Brewers, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

“The conversation was very professional,” Civale’s agent, Jack Toffey, said. “I just very respectfully said that Aaron would really like an opportunity to continue his career as a starter. He’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year.”

Brewers’ general manager Matt Arnold didn’t return a request for comment. But, Toffey makes it clear his client isn’t angry, but is confused with the change in his role.

“I’ve heard from other teams, through their channels of communication, that they have a plethora of starting pitching and are looking for trade partners, maybe not just on Aaron, but maybe another pitcher,” Toffey said. “That’s my understanding…

“Aaron is not angry or banging his fist on the table,” Toffey added. “But it’s a little confusing because he did not pitch his way out of the rotation whatsoever. It’s more of a subjective choice the organization is making.”

Civale’s best season was in 2023 when he went 7-5 with a 3.46 ERA in 23 starts.

Red Sox Starters Know They Need to be Better

Boston was expected to be a playoff team this season, but the Red Sox have struggled.

A big reason why Boston has struggled is due to their rotation. Outside of Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox have struggled to get quality starts. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito knows they need to step up to help Crochet and the Red Sox.

“It can’t just be all (Garrett) Crochet carrying the rotation,” Giolito said. “We’ve all been working hard and doing what we need to do to be able to help. So I think it’s important that, no matter who’s taking the mound that day, we all have confidence, the team has confidence, that we’re going to give a good performance and put us in position to win.”

Boston is 34-36 and in fourth in the AL East.

Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton