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Major League Baseball’s trade deadline (July 31) is still more than a month away, but some veteran starting pitchers could be on the move sooner than later. The Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly weighing their options after right-hander Aaron Civale requested a trade following a demotion to the bullpen, and the New York Mets are fielding calls on fellow right-hander Paul Blackburn, according to the New York Post. In both cases, the Brewers and Mets are about to have more starting pitchers than slots.
No one will confuse Civale (91 ERA+ since Opening Day 2024) or Blackburn (88) as front-of-the-rotation anchors. If they were, they wouldn’t be available. Even so, the state of pitching in the majors means that both are likely to draw interest from needy teams.
Just what teams might those be? Here are five who pop to mind as a fit for either.
1. Minnesota Twins
The Twins have lost two starters to shoulder problems in the past week: ace Pablo López and promising youngster Zebby Matthews. They’re currently situated as the American League’s second wild-card team, and they’d be wise to upgrade from Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa if they want to keep it that way. Civale is owed twice what Blackburn is, and that could theoretically be a sticking point for Minnesota’s tight budget. At the same time, he’s probably a better fit stylistically — remember, the Twins’ rotation has the lowest ground-ball percentage in the majors.
2. San Diego Padres
At last update, the Padres hope to get Yu Darvish back before July. Michael King hasn’t yet started to throw, however, and it might not be a bad idea to add another starter to the mix. As it stands, the Padres are banking a little too much on Ryan Bergert and former Rule 5 pick Stephen Kolek continuing to hold up their end of the bargain.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have invested a lot of money into their starting rotation since reaching the 2023 World Series by signing Corbin Burnes, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Jordan Montgomery. Unfortunately, Burnes and Montgomery are each out for the season and continued underperformance from Rodriguez (plus Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt) necessitates their inclusion in this piece. The D-backs are still within five games of a playoff spot, making it a little too early for them to raise a white flag on the season.
4. Los Angeles Angels
Yes, the Angels have a minus-50 run differential that suggests they’re playing well over their heads (the Chicago White Sox are at minus-57 and the Pittsburgh Pirates are at minus-52), but why not make the most of their fortune? The Angels are tied with the Seattle Mariners for second in the AL West, and are only 2 ½ games out of a wild-card spot. Inserting Civale or Blackburn in place of Jack Kochanowicz would be an upgrade.
5. Houston Astros
The Astros remain down an entire rotation and change. Some Astros pitchers are progressing in their recoveries from various injuries. For example, Spencer Arrighetti has just started playing catch, and Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia have been throwing bullpen sessions. After what they’ve been through over the past year-plus with pitcher health, no one could blame the Astros if they scoffed at the Brewers and Mets (or any other team for that matter) believing they had too many pitchers.