Houston Astros Pitcher On Brutal List For Falling Woefully Short of Expectations

A Houston Astros pitcher has landed on a list no one wants to be a part of because of his lack of production.

Mar 28, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. warms up before the game against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Sustaining success for as long as the Houston Astros have in the American League is no easy task.

Their streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances was snapped this October by the up-and-coming Detroit Tigers.

This offseason, they are certainly going to be tested when it comes to making the necessary moves to remain a contender.

The No. 1 priority for the team is figuring out a way to retain third baseman Alex Bregman. There are a ton of suitors pursuing him as he remains one of the best players in the sport.

His market is only growing with the reports surfacing that he is willing to move to second base in the right situation. That is bad news for an Astros team that is already a bit cash-strapped with a wide gap present between what they are willing to offer and what their star is seeking.

Keeping their core together for as long as they have, and all of them remaining productive, has been a major factor in winning as much as they do. The front office has done a good job of avoiding bad contract decisions that would have eaten into precious salary cap space.

The only player who has been any detriment in that regard, in the opinion of Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, is starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.

A first-round pick in the 2012 MLB draft, he has shown star potential at points in his career.

Seeing the potential, the team signed him to a five-year, $85 million extension ahead of the 2021 campaign.

That commitment has not panned out like the team had hoped it would.

With two years and $35.4 million remaining on his deal, he was named an honorable mention in Stavenhagen’s piece about the worst contracts in baseball.

Unfortunately for McCullers and Houston, he is on that list for things outside of his control.

It isn’t a production issue like it is for other players on the list; he just cannot stay healthy.

The No. 1 ability for a professional athlete is availability, so in that regard, McCullers has failed.

He missed the entire 2019 campaign and hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2022, missing the last two because of injury.

Since signing that extension, he has made 36 starts in four seasons with 210 innings pitched, allowing only 69 earned runs with 235 strikeouts. In 2021, he finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting and was performing at an even higher level in 2022 before succumbing to injury.

The talent to be a front-end starter is there, he just hasn’t been able to showcase it consistently because of an array of ailments.

Now at 31 years old, it is anyone’s guess what he can offer the team on the field, but he is trending in the right direction to be available to pitch in 2025.