A's add Minor League arm Moffett, deal Civale to Cubs

WEST SACRAMENTO -- The Athletics acquired Minor League right-hander Aiden Moffett from the Cubs on Saturday in exchange for right-hander Aaron Civale, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

Moffett, 22, signed with the Cubs in 2025 as an undrafted free agent. Previously a college teammate of current A’s Gage Jump and Tommy White at LSU in '24, Moffett has combined for a 9.67 ERA in 17 games between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Myrtle Beach this season.

TRADE DETAILS
A’s receive: RHP Aiden Moffett
Cubs receive: RHP Aaron Civale

Civale was part of a major roster shakeup that took place with the A’s as they returned from the All-Star break on Friday.

The A’s signed the veteran right-hander to a one-year deal just before Spring Training in hopes that he could help fortify their rotation, but he struggled mightily over the past month, going 0-6 with a 10.17 ERA in his final six appearances before the break. In all, Civale posted a 5.42 ERA in 16 games for the A’s.

"Civale had a great April for us,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “But he wasn’t able to turn things around.”

There was more roster shuffling ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nationals at Sutter Health Park, as the A’s placed right-hander Justin Sterner on the 15-day injured list with right knee chondromalacia and selected right-hander Geoff Hartlieb from Triple-A Las Vegas. To clear a roster spot for Hartlieb, infielder Joey Meneses was designated for assignment.

Sterner began the year strong for the A’s with a 3.92 ERA over his first 43 relief appearances. Over his last three outings, though, the 29-year-old righty allowed 11 runs in 1 1/3 innings. That performance may have been affected by his knee issue.

"With Sterner, the knee hasn’t been 100 percent for a couple of weeks,” Kotsay said. “He’s been grinding and trying to pitch through it. … I commend the guy for going out there and posting, trying to get through it. Ultimately, it was getting to a point where it was impacting his performance and ability to execute pitches.”