The Brewers didn’t spend the All-Star break admiring the problem. A day after placing Brandon Woodruff on the 60-day injured list and losing Kyle Harrison to injury, Milwaukee acquired right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and left-hander Colton Gordon from the Astros on Wednesday in exchange for Class-A outfielder Jadyn Fielder, with Houston sending cash in the deal, per MLB.com.
McCullers, a two-time World Series winner in Houston in 2017 and 2022, had spent his entire career as an Astro, long enough to earn the 10-and-5 rights that gave him full veto power over any trade. He waived them at the request of owner Jim Crane, per MLB.com, clearing the way to Milwaukee. The Brewers will cover most of his remaining salary, according to the report.
For Houston, the trade is about arithmetic. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are both due off the injured list later this month, and there was no rotation spot waiting for McCullers when they arrived. Moving him and Gordon opens two 40-man roster spots and adds payroll room less than three weeks before the August 3 trade deadline, flexibility the Astros can now spend on the roster they actually intend to run out in October.
The return is a name that rhymes with Milwaukee’s own history. Jadyn Fielder, 21, is the son of former Brewers slugger Prince Fielder and grandson of Cecil Fielder, hitting .233 with three home runs and 10 stolen bases in Class-A ball this season. He heads to a Houston system betting on the bloodline more than the batting line.
For Milwaukee, the calculus is simpler. The Brewers entered the break needing innings they suddenly didn’t have, and McCullers arrives as a proven postseason arm who costs prospects the organization could spare. Whether he’s the last rotation move before August 3 probably depends on how the next two weeks of health reports read.
