The Cubs' rotation has been getting hit by injuries all season, and it finally reached a breaking point. Cade Horton is done for the year after Tommy John surgery, and Jameson Taillon, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown and Justin Steele are all currently sidelined. That's basically half a starting five gone in one stretch, which is the kind of math that forces a front office to go shopping in the middle of July instead of waiting for the deadline crowd.
Aaron Civale to Cubs @JesseRogersESPN 1st
Word came fast and from multiple directions. Jon Heyman had it first, and Mark Feinsand quickly confirmed the full framework: Cubs get Aaron Civale from the Athletics, and Oakland gets right-handed pitching prospect Aiden Moffett in return, with cash considerations reportedly going back to Chicago's way.
The Cubs are acquiring Aaron Civale from the Athletics for RHP Aiden Moffett, per source. @JesseRogersESPN was on it.
This isn't Civale's first rodeo in Chicago, either — it's practically a reunion tour. He'd already bounced from Milwaukee to the White Sox before landing with the Cubs off waivers last August, and he was genuinely great in that stint: a 2.08 ERA in five relief appearances down the stretch, capped by 4 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the postseason against Milwaukee. That's the version of Civale the Cubs are hoping shows back up.
The version he's bringing over from Oakland is a lot shakier on paper. Civale posted a 5-7 record with a 5.42 ERA across 16 games, 15 of them starts, before the Athletics designated him for assignment. That's not a small red flag, but for a rotation this depleted, roster spots aren't going to top guys — they're going to available arms who've shown they can get big outs when it counts.
ICYMI yesterday, the #Cubs brought back Aaron Civale in a trade with the #Athletics: t.co/0czIJfsbzb
For a team trying to hang around a playoff race with a rotation held together by tape, adding a guy who already has a good track record in that exact clubhouse is a low-cost, sensible bet. Moffett is a 22-year-old undrafted signee out of West Virginia who's still working through the low minors, so the Cubs aren't giving up much to find out if Civale can catch lightning in a bottle a second time. If he settles into a swingman role the way he did last October, this is the kind of unglamorous depth move that quietly keeps a season alive.