Some say life doesn't begin until you turn 30. Aaron Civale is probably not one of those people. The veteran right-handed pitcher did not get to celebrate his birthday the way he intended to on Thursday, as the Milwaukee Brewers demoted him to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for MLB top-100 prospect Jacob Misiorowski. He responded to the news by promptly requesting a trade. The ballclub obliged on Friday, but it came with a catch.

Civale now plays for one of the worst teams in the sport: the Chicago White Sox (23-46). The Brewers shipped him out to the American League in exchange for former top-five draft pick Andrew Vaughn, immediately changing the reality of his situation. Civale was a reliever on a squad that sits just two and a half games out of a playoff slot. Now, he is a starter on a cellar-dweller.

Geographically speaking, he is only travailing a couple of hours to reach his next stop, but in baseball terms, it probably feels like a long and perilous voyage. As the recent birthday boy just learned, most people do not get to have their cake and eat it too. Fans are sharing their thoughts on the matter.

“Aaron Civale requests a trade out of spite and the next day he’s on the White Sox…. Life comes at ya fast,” @moodyfan_ posted on X. “Diabolical move by the Brewers,” @charliex13_ commented. “Dude got punished for requesting a trade,” @TheMetsX quipped. “Oh that's petty,” @FSProphecy said. “Be careful what you wish for,” @EKlambara warned.

Will Aaron Civale make the best out of his new set of circumstances?

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This guy cannot catch a break. But as the fans above noted, this is the risk one takes when they ask to play elsewhere. The fact that Andrew Vaughn is batting a miserable .189 with a .314 slugging percentage and .531 OPS will only further convince people that the Brewers were looking to send a message rather than actually maximize return value. In all seriousness, though, it is not as if Civale was taking Cream City by storm.

The 2016 third-round pick suffered a hamstring strain after his season debut and spent almost two months on the injured list. He has struggled since returning, posting a 4.91 ERA and allowing batters to slug .512 through five starts in 2025. Conversely, his replacement, Jacob Misiorowski, tossed five no-hit innings in his MLB debut on Thursday (did walk four batters, however). The baseball gods are using Civale as their own personal punching bag.

Here's the thing, though. This change could be a blessing in disguise. The East Windsor, Connecticut native is a free agent after this season. He can earn himself significantly more money by excelling in the White Sox's rotation. Civale can also emerge as an intriguing trade deadline candidate if he can quickly bounce back on the mound.

Besides, he is getting what he wanted. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the righty will start every fifth day. Maybe 30 can still be the best year of his life.