Lance McCullers Jr. deal with Brewers reportedly near finish
Multiple media reports say Houston is closing in on a trade sending veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. to Milwaukee.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Lance McCullers Jr., the Houston Astros’ longest-serving pitcher, is reportedly on the verge of swapping the AL West for a National League Central race.
Multiple media reports said the Astros are finalizing a trade that would send the 32-year-old right-hander to the Milwaukee Brewers. The return Houston would receive had not been reported.
McCullers reportedly is waiving his no-trade clause so the move can go through. He is in the last season of a five-year, $85 million contract.
The timing lands with Milwaukee in a strong spot. The Brewers lead the NL Central by five games over the Chicago Cubs, according to the report. Houston sits third in the AL West, three games behind the Texas Rangers.
A veteran arm with a long injury file
McCullers has pitched to a 2-3 record with a 6.51 ERA this season, with 43 strikeouts across 55⅓ innings, according to the report. He is currently on a minor league rehab assignment after going on the injured list with a rotator cuff impingement.
Injuries have shaped much of his recent career. McCullers missed 2½ seasons following flexor tendon surgery in 2023 and a setback in 2024, according to the report.
He returned to Houston’s rotation in 2025, though that season also included three injured-list stints. Earlier in his career, he missed the entire 2019 season after Tommy John surgery.
That medical history is the headline next to the baseball upside. McCullers was an All-Star in 2017 and has spent his entire major league career with Houston since the club drafted him in the first round in 2012.
What Milwaukee would be getting
Across 148 career starts, McCullers has a 53-40 record, a 3.85 ERA and 904 strikeouts, according to the report. His best Cy Young Award finish came in 2021, when he placed seventh in American League voting after going 13-5 with a 3.15 ERA.
For Milwaukee, the reported deal would add a pitcher with playoff-tested experience and a track record of missing bats, though his current season numbers and injury status make the move far from a clean bet.
For Houston, the reported trade would mark the end of a long run with a pitcher who grew from first-round pick into a key part of the club’s rotation when healthy.
The deal had not been announced as completed in the report, and the players or assets headed back to the Astros were still unknown.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.