What do the Brewers see in recent trade acquisition Lance McCullers?

After tons of speculation, the Milwaukee Brewers have jumped the market and acquired an All-Star starting pitcher ahead of the second half.

What's the catch? Well, that pitcher, Lance McCullers Jr., earned his All-Star designation back in 2017, nearly one decade ago. Ever since, he's missed entire seasons (three times) more frequently than he's completed 100 innings (twice). The natural talent that once made him one of the game's most electric young arms has been subdued by time and injuries, as he's working with a 6.65 ERA over the past two years after missing the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

Surely there must be something the pitching wizards in Milwaukee saw that encouraged the front office to make this deal. Yes, they also received Colton Gordon in the trade, and he's got some solid potential (so long as you look past his poor results). But the Brewers are picking up $2.5 million of McCullers' remaining salary and surrendering Jadyn Fielder with the intention of using the former All-Star.

Amidst diminishing velocity, Brewers may find solace in Lance McCullers' offspeed stuff

First things first: McCullers is currently out with an injury, dealing with shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm. The initial reaction might be to compare him to Jordan Montgomery, whom the Brewers acquired at last year's deadline despite knowing that he wouldn't pitch for the rest of the season. They did so in order to acquire Shelby Miller for a fractional cost, but also with a small hope of re-signing Montgomery once he reached free agency.

Perhaps the thinking is similar with McCullers, who is likewise in the final year of his deal. However, the veteran right-hander has been on a rehab assignment since June 25, and he's pitched to a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings since. The expectation should be that he'll pitch in Milwaukee at some point in the second half and perhaps as early as the Brewers' first post-All-Star Break series.

If and when that happens, it'll be fascinating to watch what changes the coaching staff implements in his game to help McCullers fend off the effects of aging and poor health. His fastball velocity has declined by about three miles per hour since his peak, and so he's begun featuring a cutter, rather than a four-seamer, to pair with his primary fastball (a sinker).

The data is limited because he's only faced 172 hitters this year, but that renewed focus on movement has given him a rather diverse arsenal with very distinct pitch shapes. None of his fastballs grade out as above-average pitches, but they do work to effectively set up his sweeper (121 Stuff+), knuckle curve (107 Stuff+), and changeup (37.5% whiff rate).

Thus, it wouldn't be surprising if the Crew encourage McCullers to start "pitching backward," wherein he favors his breaking balls and off-speed pitches and saves his fastball for more specific at-bats or key moments when he needs a strike, so long as he can consistently locate his secondary offerings. His sweeper has sort of been all over the place in 2026 -- it's hard to shake off his amount of rust with a pitch that moves nearly 17 inches to the glove side -- but each of his other offerings grade out at a 93 or higher on the Location+ scale (100 is league average).

Regardless of their plan of attack, though, this is a low-risk, high-reward swing well in advance of the trade deadline, one which was practically necessitated by Brandon Woodruff's own shoulder injury. If McCullers works, then it'll be a huge win for the front office, but his presence also shouldn't block the braintrust from adding another, more reliable starter at the deadline.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow