$8M Brewers Star Demands Trade Just Hours After Team’s Online Birthday Post

Awkwardness doesn’t look for the right time. You can face it on the field, dugout, or even, social media. And sometimes, it’s the off-field moments that stir up the most buzz. That’s exactly what happened with the Brewers and their starter, Aaron Civale. While Civale’s outing was moderate enough, his real curveball came off the field.

The Brewers might not have anticipated the storm of reactions heading their way. And we’re not even sure if their media team was fully prepared for what followed.

Well, Civale’s second season with the Brewers is not going as expected. After making five starts this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has been relegated to the bullpen. Now that’s something unacceptable for Civale, considering he played starter in his 7 years of MLB career. Last year, he just played one game against the Mets as a reliever, and the remaining 122 games in his career came as a starter.

Enough for Civale to ask for a trade from the Brewers. But the request might have arrived at the worst possible time.

Well, Civale turned 30 on June 12. And like many teams, the Brewers marked the occasion with a routine social media post wishing their right-hander a happy birthday. But the mood quickly shifted from celebratory to awkward when reports emerged that Civale had requested a trade.

What began as a public nod to a player’s milestone suddenly underscored the growing tension between him and the team, casting a shadow over what should have been a simple birthday shoutout.

But why are the Brewers opting for a staple starter for the bullpen role? Civale is standing with a 4.91 ERA this season with 19 SOs and seven walks over 22 innings. The numbers might not be disastrous, but they’ve been far from convincing the Brewers of their playoff aspirations.

The Brewers reportedly turned to their top pitching prospect, Jacob Misiorowski, as an alternative. He has been dominant at Triple-A, logging a 2.13 ERA with 80 strikeouts across 63 1/3 innings. So, statistically, the young right-hander has clearly outperformed Civale as a starter. And considering the turbulent position of the Brewers in the league, it might be coming at the right time to rejuvenate the lineup.

The Brewers got a few more challenges to deal with 

Wading through rough waters in the NL Central, the Brewers find themselves balancing between postseason dreams and a potential midseason collapse. With a 36–33 record, they currently sit third in the division. And that’s close enough to hope, but unstable enough to worry. So, as the season pushes into its critical stretch, the Brewers can no longer afford to experiment.

It’s time to fire on all cylinders. But you may find them badly misfiring until now.

So, while Civale’s movement to the bullpen may seem like a pitching problem for the team, that’s not the only concern. Offensively, Milwaukee is struggling to produce runs. With a team batting average of just .234, the lineup has been largely silent.

Christian Yelich leads the club with 13 home runs, a respectable total on the surface. But when stacked against the league’s elite sluggers, many of whom have already cracked the 20+ HR mark, the power gap becomes glaringly obvious.

Hence, if things don’t turn around soon, the Brewers risk watching October slip out of reach yet again. The clock is ticking, and it’s time to go for an all-out execution. But currently, that is exactly where the Brewers are falling short. Think they can bounce back?

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