The Houston Astros are finalizing a trade that would send oft-injured right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., their longest-tenured pitcher, to the Milwaukee Brewers, according to multiple media reports.
What the Astros will receive in return for McCullers, 32, was not yet known. Milwaukee leads the National League Central by five games over the Chicago Cubs; Houston is third in the American League West, three games behind the Texas Rangers.
McCullers, who reportedly is waiving his no-trade clause to complete the trade, is in the final season of a five-year, $85 million contract. The 2017 All-Star selection is 2-3 with a 6.51 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 55⅓ innings this season. He is currently on a minor league rehab stint after going on the IL with a rotator cuff impingement.
After missing 2½ seasons due to flexor tendon surgery in 2023 and a setback in 2024, McCullers returned to the Astros' rotation in 2025, though he had three trips to the injury list that season. He also missed the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
McCullers, a first-round pick in 2012, has a 53-40 career record with a 3.85 ERA and 904 strikeouts in 148 starts. He finished seventh in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2021, when he went 13-5 with a 3.15 ERA.