Cubs strengthen pitching depth by claiming Aaron Civale from White Sox on waivers

On Sunday, the Chicago Cubs added another pitching master, claiming right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale off waivers from the Chicago White Sox. The Cubs designated left-hander Tom Cosgrove for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

Civale, who spent the season's first portion as a Milwaukee Brewer before being traded to the White Sox in mid-June, joins a Cubs team potentially gearing up for a postseason run.

Aaron Civale’s season: From Milwaukee to the South Side to Wrigley

Civale, 30, opened 2025 in Milwaukee with a decent pedigree with Cleveland, Tampa, and Milwaukee behind him. That made him a perfect fit as a starter, but a 4.91 ERA in five starts caused early struggles in the season that led Tampa Bay to make him a bullpen piece and, eventually, for Archer to request a trade.

He was traded to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn and cash considerations at the request of Milwaukee in mid-June.

Civale found a bit of life on the South Side of Chicago, going 3.56 in his first nine starts, including five scoreless innings against the Cubs on July 26. Sadly, that momentum evaporated late in the month, when he threw up an ugly 9.95 ERA in his last four appearances with the White Sox.Also Read: Carlos Santana net worth 2025: A closer look at Cubs’ new veteran first baseman’s legacy

What the Cubs stand to gain and what’s next

For the Cubs, this is adding vital insurance for their upcoming month's matches.

Civale is now eligible to join the postseason roster as long as he is officially added before the deadline when rosters expand on Monday.

Although Civale was once a starter, he could project to long relief duties in Chicago, giving the Cubs a versatile arm to soak up innings as the likes of Shota Imanaga, Matt Boyd, Cade Horton, Colin Rea, and Javier Assad roughed out the rest of the rotation. Civale, by contrast, is a necessary innings-eater and provides more depth with Jameson Taillon and Michael Soroka still on the IL.The club is technically also acquiring rookie Kevin Alcántara. So, Owen Caissie could find his way back to Triple-A Iowa after all. They will still need to make even more room to complete the expected Carlos Santana deal.Overall, the Cubs are making a low-risk play with a claim for Aaron Civale to bolster their pitching depth and improve their options leading into the stretch run. Civale still has a chance to be an important and newsworthy piece for Chicago's postseason run if he can regain his performance from before the trade.