Aaron Civale Caps Off Strong July For Guardians As Trade Deadline Approaches

Aaron Civale has always possessed the stuff to be a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for a Major League rotation. He exploded on the scene during his rookie season in 2019 with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.

However, he's struggled to stay on the field since then as he's suffered a number of minor injuries sidelining him for a month or two at a time. This has been the same story in 2023 as Civale made two starts before heading to the IL with an oblique strain.

Even though the righty missed almost two months, he's been one of the best and most reliable pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians this season.

Civale has made 13 starts this season posting a career-best 2.34 ERA, a WHIP of 1.04, and a record of 5-2. The month of July has been one of the best months of his career as he finished with a 1.45 ERA and an opponent average of .176.

A strong Sunday for Civale!#Guardians | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/w78ZvNk1wY
— Cleveland Guardians On SI (@GuardiansOnSI) July 30, 2023

The pitch that has helped Civale be so effective this season is his curveball. It currently ranks in the 96th percentile in spin, batters are hitting just .188 off it with a 26.1 percent whiff rate.

These stats have taken center stage as the MLB trade deadline is now under 48 hours away. There are a number of teams who could use another starting pitcher such as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cincinnati Reds.

The month of July has been hot, but Aaron Civale has been hotter.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/rouPKHqvvg
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 30, 2023

Civale is an obvious trade candidate for the Guardians to sell high on and the opposing team to be interested in. Cleveland has plenty of pitching depth (when fully healthy) and he still has two and a half more years of team control.

All eyes will be on the front office to see whether they move on from Civale or hold onto him for the rest of the season. There are certainly pros for both routes.

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