Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the All-Star game, trade season is taking the stage.

The Houston Astros have traded right-handed starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and minor-leaguer Colton Gordon to the Milwaukee Brewers. McCullers Jr. is a former All-Star and two-time World Series champion. 

The 32-year-old owns a 2-3 record and a 6.86 ERA with 43 strikeouts across eight games this season. Considering his extensive injury history and struggles, the Astros were willing to eat up the $17 million remaining in the final year of his $85 million contract.

He landed on the 15-day injury list on May 19 and is rehabbing a right shoulder impingement. He has completed three minor-league rehab assignments and may not require his next scheduled rehab start on July 17. The Brewers will monitor his recovery as he is close to being reinstated from the IL. 

The Brewers are acquiring McCullers to add a veteran arm and starting pitching depth amid a taxed rotation. Key starters Brandon Woodruff and Kyle Harrison landed on the IL recently, and while Jacob Misiorowski isn't on the IL, he is dealing with arm fatigue and was sidelined from his last start prior to the All-Star break as a precautionary measure. 

McCullers Jr. is considered an Astros’ legend despite his extensive injury history, which has heavily impacted his career. 

In 2017 he earned an All-Star nod and finished the season with a 7-4 record, 4.25, 1.30 WHIP and 132 strikeouts across 118.2 innings. His dominant performances in the 2021 and 2022 ALDS have been overlooked by those outside Houston. In Game 1 of the 2021 ALDS, he recorded 6 2/3  scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox, and in Game 3 of the ALDS in 2022, he pitched six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners. 

Kyle Harrison was a reclamation project with the Brewers and McCullers Jr. could be the next one. The Brewers will help McCullers with his pitch location and could alter his arsenal with more knuckle-curves and changeups. 

If the Brewers can help McCullers return to his dominant form they could have an additional weapon in their rotation in the postseason. Perhaps a new environment could help spark his resurgence.