*Photo from USA Today*
The Houston Astros have locked up one of their most important rotation pieces. The Astros and RHP Lance McCullers Jr have agreed to a 5 year, $85 million extension, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. There is a no trade clause in the deal, which begins in 2022, allowing Houston to stay under the luxury tax threshold this season. The Astros have confirmed the deal.
McCullers, who was slated to hit free agency at the end of this season, posted a 3-3 record with a 3.93 ERA, striking out 56 hitters in 55 innings pitched across 11 starts in the 2020 season for the Astros, a strong comeback season after missing 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. In his 5 seasons, all in an Astros uniform, McCullers has a 32-25 record with a 3.70 ERA, throwing 508 2/3 innings across 94 games, all but 3 of them being starts.
McCullers had said last month of an extension by the Astros that "Houston is where I want to be. This is my home. This is where I see myself. I would undoubtedly want to be here well into the future. You know, I think the real question would be, 'Do the Astros see me here? Do the Astros see me as part of their future?' If the Astros see me as part of their future, as a big part of the future, then I would love to stay here if it makes sense for everyone."
The Astros clearly felt the same way about extending McCullers, although it took a while for things to get going. Talks between the two camps started just yesterday, and steam started picking up around that time as well, with mutual interest in getting a deal done. McCullers will likely be the number 3 starter in the Astros rotation, behind Zack Greinke and Jake Odorizzi.
McCullers had one of his most memorable moments in the 2017 postseason, when he threw 24 straight curveballs in a relief appearance in the ALCS against the New York Yankees, earning his first major league save, in the year the Astros won their first world series in franchise history. McCullers is now one of 6 players left from the 2017 team, with Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman, and Frances Martes being the others.
McCullers slots in to an Astros rotation that features Greinke, Odorizzi, Cristian Javier, and Jose Urquidy, with Framber Valdez mixing in to the rotation when he comes back from injury, whenever that happens.
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