MLB Rumors: Guardians Considering Aaron Civale Trade Ahead of 2023 Deadline

The Cleveland Guardians "have kicked around the idea" of an Aaron Civale trade, according to The Athletic's Zack Meisel.

Civale is 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA and a 3.55 FIP through 13 starts. He has struck out 58 batters over 77 innings.

Adding to the right-hander's overall value, he's under team control through the 2025 MLB season.

Ahead of the trade deadline, Meisel reported Cleveland wants "a young, controllable hitter, preferably an outfielder who can hit in or near the middle of the order."

The Guardians already executed one deal, sending shortstop Amed Rosario to the Los Angeles Dodgers for starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

The circumstances behind that trade were much different than with Civale. Rosario is due to be a free agent in the offseason, and Cleveland has a bevy of young middle infielders either on the 40-man roster or working their way toward the big leagues.

Rosario wasn't going to be a long-term option at short, so flipping him allowed the Guardians to get some much needed pitching depth. Syndergaard is in the midst of his worst MLB season, but simply logging five to six innings every outing will help a rotation that has Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill and Peyton Battenfield all on the injured list.

All of those injuries obviously give Cleveland a compelling reason to resist any trade overtures for Civale, at least until the offseason.

Daniel Espino's shoulder injury might have altered the front office's mindset about cashing in on one of the proven starters as well. The 22-year-old is one of the organization's most promising arms but will miss significant time after undergoing surgery in May.

The outfield has long been a trouble spot for the Guardians, even going back to when they won the American League pennant in 2016. Trading Civale makes sense if it addresses that. need and sets the offense up for 2024 and beyond.

Otherwise, it's hard to see how Cleveland is better off now without the 28-year-old.