Right-hander Aaron Civale has signed a one-year deal with the Athletics, the club announced Tuesday. The deal will guarantee Civale $6 million and includes up to an additional $1.5 million in incentives, a source told MLB.com's Martín Gallegos.
The A's also officially announced the signing of right-hander Scott Barlow. To clear spots on the 40-man roster for Civale and Barlow, right-handed pitchers Grant Holman and Mitch Spence were designated for assignment.
The 30-year-old Civale recorded a 4.85 ERA across 102 innings with the Brewers, White Sox and Cubs last season. He ended the year on Chicago’s North Side, where he made the first five relief appearances in his 10 years as a pro ballplayer and recorded a 2.08 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 13 innings.
Prior to that most recent stint, all of Civale’s 135 previous MLB outings came as a starter. He has shown the ability to be an above-average rotation piece in recent seasons. In 2023, he posted a 2.34 ERA and a 1.04 WHP in 77 innings with the Guardians before he was traded to the Rays midseason for then-prospect Kyle Manzardo.
Although his time with Tampa was generally unsuccessful (5.17 ERA in 132 1/3 frames), Civale rebounded following a trade to Milwaukee in July 2024. He didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any of his final nine starts that season, leading to a 2.57 ERA over that span.
Civale landed on the injured list with a strained left hamstring during the first weekend of the 2025 season. He returned in late May and after making four starts, Civale was informed that the team was moving him to the bullpen to make room for top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski. Wanting to remain a starter, Civale requested a trade on June 12. The Brewers dealt him to the White Sox the next day.
A seven-year veteran, Civale is a command artist who leans mostly on his high-80s cutter while mixing in a curveball as well as a sinker and a four-seamer that both top out at about 92 mph. He is a flyball pitcher whose 65.1% airball rate in 2025 was a career high. Although he has never missed a lot of bats, his 20.2% strikeout rate and 21.8% whiff rate were the lowest of Civale’s career.