The Milwaukee Brewers are set to acquire veteran right hander Lance McCullers Jr. from the Houston Astros in the first official trade of Major League Baseball’s second half. The full deal will see the Brewers receive McCullers, LHP Colton Gordon, and cash considerations, while the Astros will receive minor league prospect Jadyn Fielder.
Houston will reportedly send just over $2M to help cover the remaining money owed on McCullers current contract as part of the deal. The 32 year old agreed to waive his no move clause as part of the trade, as he joins the NL Central leading Brewers for a playoff push.
McCullers is in the final season of a 5 year, $85M contract which will see him earn $17M this year. Just over $6M of that money is still owed, meaning that is Houston kicks in another $2M, Milwaukee will only be on the hook for roughly $4M down the stretch. They’ll also receive 27 year old Colton Gordon who has pitched 9.1 innings this season, recording an 11.57 ERA along the way.
Gordon has been hampered by the long ball, having given up 6 round trippers in his 4 games in 2026, however his K/9 rate has improved to 10.6 this year.
McCullers has been plagued by injuries over the last several seasons, and hasn’t pitched since May 13th due to a shoulder injury. He began a minor league rehab assignment on June 25th and has made 3 appearances thus far. Milwaukee clearly believes that if he can regain his pre-injury form, that he’ll be a solid addition to the back end of their rotation. However it remains to be seen what version of McCullers they’ll be getting.
Since the end of the 2021 MLB campaign, the 2x World Series champion has made just 29 starts. The deal frees up some additional cash for Houston to tinker with their lineup ahead of the August 3rd trade deadline, while Milwaukee gets an extra arm in case any of their starters have injuries of their own.
Houston also receives Jadyn Fielder (son of Prince), who is a 6’1″ left handed bat who has been playing DH, LF, and 2B of late. The 21 year old is hitting .233 with 3 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 34 runs scored across 45 games for the Wilson Warbirds in the Class A Carolina League this year.
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