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To the surprise of no one, Lance McCullers Jr. made his debut with the Brewers earlier this week, and it looks like Milwaukee is going to fix him. McCullers immediately flashed better spin with his pitch-mix, striking out four in three innings of work. That said, considering what the trade opened up for the Houston Astros, Dana Brown and Co. likely won't think twice about that deal. At least, not yet.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale recently noted that after the trade with the Brewers, the Astros suddenly are $12.5 million under the first level of the luxury tax. Considering that contracts moved at the deadline are prorated for the final two months of the regular season, $12.5 million in wiggle room is quite a bit of space for the Astros to operate. Specifically, the MLB insider points to Tarik Skubal and Robbie Ray as potential options for Houston.
This isn't the first time that the Astros have been connected to Skubal. Earlier this month, it was Nightengale who directly referred to Houston as a suitor for Skubal. It's still hard to imagine the Astros having the farm system to top potential offers from the Braves, Dodgers, or Brewers, but the issue of money should no longer be a thing.
Astros now have the money to aim high at the 2026 trade deadline
As for Ray, he's a new addition to the Astros rumor mill, and likely comes closer to the type of move to expect at the deadline. Ray is a rental, and won't carry the same prospect price tag from the San Francisco Giants that the Tigers will have for Skubal. He's owed the prorated amount of $23 million this season, putting him well within Houston's financial wheelhouse this summer.
Ray is also carrying an ERA of 3.33 through 20 appearances this season, striking out 20.6 of the hitters he's faced this season. The underlying metrics suggest there's regression coming, 4.59 FIP with walk-rate of 11.6%, but the Astros, in the past, have made the most out of veteran pitchers they've acquired at the deadline.
Overall, yes, it still should be considered a flawed approach for the Astros to exclusively buy at the deadline. But, assuming that's the path they stay on, the McCullers' trade served a purpose and they can have some lofty targets.
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