Veteran pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who is headed to the Milwaukee Brewers, appeared in eight games this season. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo
The Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing a trade for Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
Sources told MLB.com, The Athletic and the New York Post about the agreement on Wednesday. The Astros are also expected to send minor league pitcher Colton Gordon to the Brewers in the trade package. The Astros will receive cash considerations as part of the deal.
McCullers, 32, was 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA through eight starts this season. The 2017 All-Star missed significant time throughout his career due to injuries. McCullers is on a minor league rehab assignment after being placed on the injured list because of a rotator cuff impingement.
He is in the final season of a five-year, $85 million contract.
McCullers was 53-40, with a 3.85 ERA, through the first 154 appearances of his MLB career. He won two World Series titles with the Astros. McCullers joined the franchise as the No. 41 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft.
Gordon, 27, was an eighth-round pick by the Astros in the 2021 MLB Draft. The left-handed pitcher was 6-4, with a 5.95 ERA, over the first 24 MLB appearances of his career, including four this season. He was 27-14, with a 3.69 ERA, over 94 minor league appearances.
The Brewers (59-37) sit in first place in the National League Central, five games ahead of the Chicago Cubs (54-42). The Astros sit in third place in the American League West, three games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers (49-47). They are 1.5 games back in the race for the American League’s last wild card spot.
The Astros will host the Baltimore Orioles (46-51) at 8:10 p.m. EDT Friday in Houston. The Brewers will host the Miami Marlins (52-45) at 7:40 p.m. Friday in Milwaukee.
