Lance McCullers Jr.'s wild 11 days ends with him out of baseball

Baseball can be a cruel, fast-moving business, and nobody has felt that more this month than Lance McCullers Jr. Less than two weeks after the Astros shipped him to the Brewers, Milwaukee has already cut him loose entirely, turning a franchise legend into a free agent for the first time in his career.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Brewers Designate Lance McCullers Jr. For Assignment t.co/0okZGepXhQ

It's a stunning fall for a guy who spent 12 years in Houston and helped the Astros win World Series titles in 2017 and 2022. That trade itself was jarring on its own — McCullers had a no-trade clause and had to waive it just to go to Milwaukee, ending over a decade with the only organization he'd ever known. The deal reportedly sent him and lefty Colton Gordon to the Brewers for minor league outfielder Jadyn Fielder, son of former All-Star Prince Fielder, plus cash to help cover McCullers' contract.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Less than two weeks after being acquired by the #Astros, Lance McCullers Jr. is DFA'ed by the #Brewers: t.co/wzgd4vcE5d

The stuff just wasn't there anymore. McCullers made only two appearances for Milwaukee before getting DFA'd, and his season-long numbers tell the story — a 6.52 ERA with diminished velocity, roughly 3 mph off his peak. He's still working through the back half of a five-year, $85 million extension he signed back in 2022, but a flexor tendon surgery wiped out his 2023 and 2024 seasons and he's never fully looked like the guy who posted a 3.48 career ERA through his first several years in Houston.

Now the Brewers have finished the job, officially releasing him outright rather than waiting to see if another club would claim him off waivers.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Brewers Release Lance McCullers Jr. t.co/lFmVHCPPXS

Both Houston and Milwaukee are still on the hook for chunks of his remaining salary, so this isn't really about money — it's about a team deciding the roster spot mattered more than the sunk cost. For McCullers, the question now is whether any club sees enough left in the tank to take a flier on a former ace looking to rebuild his career from scratch, mid-season, with no leverage left to negotiate a soft landing.