2025 Player Outlook

While Civale wasn’t able to replicate his strikeout rate with the Rays from 2023, his 21.6 percent strikeout rate from last year is good enough, and not far off from the 23 percent he posted in 2023. He introduced a sweeper into the mix last year, which posted a 27.2 percent whiff rate, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he throws it more than the 14.9 percent in 2024. Civale posted a 1.62 HR/9 last year, the second-highest of his career, and it coincides with a ground ball rate that has decreased each of the last three seasons. Hard contact and fly balls aren’t exactly a recipe for success, and he struggled to generate swings out of the zone in 2024. While he was better with the Brewers than Rays last season, the same issues plagued him, and there’s a reason he’s practically free in drafts. At the end of the day, the veteran righty will post an ERA in the mid-4s with a middling strikeout rate, though he should get enough innings to have a chance at double-digit wins for the second time in his career.