Andrew Vaughn Got Reality Check From Pat Murphy After Brewers Trade

There were a lot of unbelievable things that happened during the Milwaukee Brewers' 2025 season, but Andrew Vaughn's individual turnaround should probably be No. 1 on the list.

Vaughn came to the Brewers in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for starting pitcher Aaron Civale. He was batting .189 in the majors with -1.8 bWAR in just 48 games, and had recently been demoted to Triple-A.

However, the Brewers got a sterling 64 games out of Vaughn after calling him up on July 7, as the 27-year-old slashed .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs. He'll be the Brewers' starting first baseman this year, while Civale, who had a 5.37 ERA for the White Sox, now plays for the Athletics.

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What Vaughn remembered from Murphy call post-trade

Vaughn, Murphy — Jul 26, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) congratulates first base Andrew Vaughn (28) after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Vaughn recently recounted the story of his first interaction with Brewers manager Pat Murphy after the trade, and while it's not as though that conversation solved all the problems he was having in Chicago, it certainly didn't seem like it hurt matters, either.

As he told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Vaughn received a call from Murphy just after he'd gotten the news he'd been traded.

“I didn’t even know what was going on. I just got traded,” Vaughn told McCalvy. “He was like, ‘So, what’s going on?’”

Then, after Vaughn explained that he was working on some adjustments in the batting cage, the first baseman recounted that Murphy's advice was just as succinct as his line of questioning.

“He’s like, ‘Well, all right. Figure it out. Let’s go,’” Vaughn said.

Vaughn had some time to regroup after hearing from Murphy, as he played 16 games (and had an .838 OPS) for the Nashville Sounds after the trade. But though some combination of Murphy's message, the change of scenery, and the hard work he put in, it was clear everything flipped for Vaughn after the trade.

With all that said, there will be skeptics about Vaughn's ability to put together a full season like his three months as a Brewer, so he'll have plenty to prove once the regular season kicks off against... the White Sox.

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