A’s shuffle their 40-man roster, trading Aaron Civale to the Cubs for Aiden Moffett

The Athletics made multiple roster moves Wednesday night, mixing a trade, a call-up and an injury placement as they reconfigured their 40-man outlook. The club acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Aiden Moffett from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-hander Aaron Civale, according to the Athletics’ announcement. The same release also detailed internal staffing changes tied to roster space and a player’s current health status.

On the pitching side, Oakland selected right-hander Geoff Hartlieb from Triple-A Las Vegas to the major league roster. Hartlieb’s selection reflects the A’s continued willingness to adjust quickly with younger arms during the season, using their organizational depth to keep options available as bullpen usage evolves.

The A’s also placed right-hander Justin Sterner on the 15-day injured list with right knee chondromalacia. The assignment of Sterner to the IL creates an immediate vacancy on the 40-man roster, a factor that plays directly into the team’s sequencing of moves in late July. As with any IL stint, Oakland will now operate short-term without Sterner’s major league availability while he works through the issue.

To create additional roster room for its moves, Oakland designated infielder Joey Meneses for assignment. A designation for assignment does not necessarily mean the player is gone, but it does begin a process in which the club must decide whether to keep the player in the organization, trade him, or remove him from the 40-man roster within the league’s defined windows.

For the trade itself, Oakland sent Civale to the Cubs and received Moffett, a minor league right-hander. While the transaction does not by itself explain Oakland’s near-term playoff or rotation math, it clearly indicates a player-management philosophy: shifting value between current major league options and controllable organizational prospects.

The Cubs’ acquisition of Civale likewise suggests a targeted response to roster needs, using a known major league starter/reliever profile as they evaluate their longer-run pitching picture. Meanwhile, the A’s return of a minor league arm positions Moffett as a future piece rather than an immediate roster plug, at least based on what has been publicly stated in the club release.

Going forward, the most immediate on-field question is how Oakland will cover the innings vacated by Sterner’s IL placement and how quickly Hartlieb can be woven into the pitching staff’s day-to-day decisions. On the personnel front, the Meneses situation is the other item to watch, because his designation for assignment sets up the possibility of a different roster path depending on claimed-waiver or internal reassignment outcomes. The Civale-Moffett trade also becomes a longer-term storyline, with Oakland’s coaching staff likely focused on how the received pitcher develops after the change of affiliation.