Chicago Cubs bring back another 2025 arm

After the Cubs 6-2 win over the Twins on Saturday, the front office made another pitching move. They acquired veteran righty Aaron Civale and cash considerations from the Athletics. 22-year old righty Aiden Moffett goes to the Athletics, per Jesse Rogers. Civale, 31, pitched to a 5.42 ERA, 5.34 FIP, 1.62 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 74.2 innings (15 starts, 16 total appearances).

Righty Aiden Moffett going back. Cubs had Civale for a bit last year. https://t.co/9smylL7344

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 18, 2026

Another 2025 Cubs pitcher returns

Civale joins veteran Drew Pomeranz as a 2025 Cub pitcher to sign elsewhere this season, then return. While he only pitched in 13 innings as a Cub last year, he posted a 2.08 ERA and 0.54 WHIP in five appearances.

This move, while not flashy by any means, makes sense for the Cubs. At this time, when the big names are not moving, getting veteran arm depth who can start or come out of the pen and pitch multiple innings is nice to have with all of the injuries. He definitely fits (as we saw last year) what Craig Counsell can do with pitchers.

Post All-Star break @Cubs injury roundup (all per Counsell):

Taillon (left hamstring strain) – “The first one back… he’ll be active in the Tiger series.” Exact day TBD.

Milner (appendicitis) – “Probably the next guy… because it’s not really a baseball injury.” Pretty much…

— Elise Menaker (@EliseMenaker) July 17, 2026

Civale is a career 4.26 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, and 2.5 BB/9 pitcher, which is solid enough to keep a team in a game. He is not going to blow people away; he’s mostly a cutter, curveball, sinker, low-90s four-seamer pitcher. More flyballs (40.6%) vs. grounders (38.2%) in his career, though with the A’s this year he sports a 0.56 GB/FB ratio. A nice attribute he has is good command, with a career 6.6% walk rate.

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