The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox completed a player-for-player swap in a trade on Friday, as the Brewers acquired outfielder Andrew Vaughn in exchange for pitcher Aaron Civale, who was sent to Chicago. And MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa believes there is a clear victor and loser among the two players involved in the trade.
"...Number one, if I'm Andrew Vaughn, it's Christmas morning for me," DeRosa said.
"If I'm Andrew Vaughn, it's Christmas morning for me..." - @markdero7 #MLBCentral reacts to the reported Aaron Civale-Andrew Vaughn trade. https://t.co/JhNiBfB63Q pic.twitter.com/Zz86Q5gi6n
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 13, 2025
DeRosa went on to explain that the underachieving Vaughn, a former third overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, could possibly reach his full potential getting a fresh start in a different organization. Further helping that potential cause is the fact that Vaughn will now be contributing to a winning team in Milwaukee (37–33) after spending the first five seasons with the White Sox, who set a modern-day record with 121 losses this past season.
"If I'm Andrew Vaughn, I can't get to the airport quick enough," DeRosa quipped.
Civale, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Two days ago, the Brewers made it known that they would like for Civale, who has only ever started in his big league career, to shift to the bullpen. Civale did not want to do so, and, through his agent Jack Toffey, expressed his desire to remain a starter, even if it meant no longer pitching for the Brewers. DeRosa believes the Brewers sent a "message" to the free agent-to-be, trading him to the White Sox, where it may be difficult to acquit himself well for his upcoming free agency.
Former big leaguer Chris Young astutely noted that Civale will certainly get more opportunities to start on Chicago. However, if judging the trade simply by the team success both players are bound to experience in the remainder of the 2025 season, it's difficult to call anyone but Vaughn the winner.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Analysts Declare Early Victor, Loser of Brewers-White Sox Trade.
