The Brewers spent deadline week landing one of the more recognizable arms on the trade market, and the payoff so far is a middle-relief role. Milwaukee flipped Single-A outfielder Jadyn Fielder to Houston for Lance McCullers Jr. and lefty Colton Gordon, a deal that came together fast on July 15.
Brewers, Astros Finalizing Trade Involving Lance McCullers Jr. t.co/Z1MUSxRQdH
Jon Heyman had the pieces moving in real time that afternoon, first flagging talks, then confirming McCullers was headed to Milwaukee, then adding Gordon as the second piece heading north with him. It moved from rumor to reality in about 20 minutes on Twitter, which is usually how these things go once a guy's price tag drops enough.
Hearing now McCullers to Brewers is being finalized
The context matters here. McCullers has been on the injured list since May 19 with a right rotator cuff impingement, and he was hardly pitching like a difference-maker before that landed him there — an 8-start, 6.86 ERA stretch over 39 1/3 innings for Houston this year. Astros were reportedly paying down some of what's left on his deal just to move him, which is trade-speak for salary dump. In return, Houston gets a left-handed-hitting outfield prospect who happens to be Prince Fielder's son.
So the Brewers didn't get 2015-vintage McCullers, the guy who authored a legendary curveball-only outing in the World Series. They got a rehabbing 32-year-old with a shoulder that's been barking, and per MLB Trade Rumors, Milwaukee's plan is to ease him back in relief rather than hand him a rotation spot outright.
Brewers Initially Using Lance McCullers Jr. In Relief t.co/rCsGvcvndR
That's a notable call given McCullers reportedly built up to 77 pitches on his rehab assignment — plenty for a starter's workload on paper. But Milwaukee clearly didn't want to mess with a rotation that's been working, and using him out of the pen lets them get his stuff back on a big-league mound without disrupting anything. It also tempers expectations for anyone hoping he'd slot in as a difference-making starter down the stretch.
For McCullers, this is a chance to rebuild value on a contender after a lost first half. For the Brewers, it's a low-cost, upside bet — if the health holds and the stuff plays in shorter bursts, relief work now could turn into rotation innings later. Worth remembering he's spent his entire career an Astro, one of a shrinking group of active pitchers who'd only ever known one franchise before this week.
Most career MLB starts by active players who have played for only one franchise: Aaron Nola, 304 (PHI) Kyle Freeland, 248 (COL) Logan Webb, 193 (SF) Mitch Keller, 182 (PIT) Logan Gilbert, 165 (SEA) Lance McCullers Jr., 148 (HOU)
