Aaron Civale
With two years left of control and a proven track record, Civale could serve as a solid addition to a pitching staff still trying to scramble given the status of their current starters.
With Soroka’s struggles, Elder’s second-half decline, and Strider’s newfound pension for giving up runs, the Braves need a proven middle-of-the-rotation man to eat up innings, limit runs, and eliminate the need for consistent call-up and send-downs.
Through 11 games this season, Civale is posting a comfortable 2.71 ERA on a 3-2 record in 63 innings pitched, with a 153 ERA+, an 0.7 HR/9, and a 1.079 WHIP. While his BB/9 is rising from, 2.0 to a 2.6, his H/9 is seeing a steady decline, falling from 8.6 in 2022 to 7.1 this season.
While his post All-Star Break numbers seem to be climbing, seeing him post a 3.48 ERA through 10.1 innings of work, it should be taken with a grain of salt when looking at the larger picture.
Aaron Civale, Dirty 76mph Curveball. 😨 pic.twitter.com/VIla0Z7ATt
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 19, 2023
Civale’s consistent ability to limit baserunners may prove tempting to Anthopoulos, who, as we all know, loves to stock up on guys with proven consistency. Throw in the extra two years of control attached to Civale, and you’ve got a guy all but destined to play in Cobb County.
All eyes will be on the front office over the next week, with expectations at an all-time high and a fierce, burning passion to make it back to the Fall Classic. While no one can correctly predict the future, we as Braves fans can sit back with an array of confidence, reciting the credo adopted following solid move after solid move: In AA We Trust.