"For reasons discussed only a little bit ago, a guy like Aaron Civale became a relatively poor fit for the Chicago Cubs over the last couple months. The rotation really filled up, the bullpen really filled up, and the reclamation group of pitchers became so robust that the competition to win innings will be fierce. If you're the Cubs, bringing Aaron Civale back on a guaranteed deal might not make a lot of sense, because who is he bouncing?"
"And if you're Aaron Civale, coming back to the Cubs on a non-guaranteed deal might not make a lot of sense, because you might very well just find yourself looking for a new job at the end of Spring Training anyway. That is all to say, for as much as I thought Civale really did look good as a multi-inning reliever when the Cubs picked him up last year, he wasn't on my radar anymore for a possible reunion."
Aaron Civale became a poor roster fit in Chicago as the rotation, bullpen, and reclamation group filled, making competition for innings intense. A guaranteed return created displacement questions; a non-guaranteed return risked him losing a job after Spring Training. Civale performed well in a small Cubs sample as a multi-inning reliever, allowing three earned runs across 13.0 innings with 14 strikeouts and zero walks. He signed with the Oakland A's for $6 million guaranteed plus $1.5 million in incentives, a deal that can reach $7.5 million. Civale, age 30, has been below average recently but likely sought a 2026 starting opportunity, which the A's appear to be offering despite a pitcher-unfriendly home ballpark.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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