Astros-Brewers trade could be the first domino the Reds were waiting for

With the All-Star break bringing a lull to the baseball season, the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers decided to shake things up. Houston sent oft-injured starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and left-hander Colton Gordon to Milwaukee, as the Brewers look to replace Brandon Woodruff and load up for postseason.

The Cincinnati Reds are on the opposite side of the equation, unfortunately. They entered the break nine games below .500 and hopelessly buried in the NL Central. Unless the Reds sweep both the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners once play resumes this weekend, Cincinnati seems destined to be sellers at this year's trade deadline.

But the Astros swap with the Brewers may have just started a chain reaction. Typically, teams lay dormant this time of year — with no one wanting to effectively "set the market" — until someone has the guts to make a bold trade. Houston's deal with Milwaukee could kickstart several trade deadline moves, not the least of which could involve Reds' starter Brady Singer.

Brewers-Astros trade just opened the door for the Reds to make a move

There's little that ties Singer and McCullers together other than current contract situation. Singer, much like McCullers, is a free agent after this season. But the Reds' starter is one of the most durable pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. The same cannot be said of McCullers, who had a lengthy injury history with the Astros.

This season alone, McCullers has only started eight games. He's covered just under 40 innings of work and owns a 6.86 ERA and 5.06 FIP. Singer has made 18 starts in 2026 and owns a 4.72 ERA and 5.61 FIP. He's been much better of late, logging 38⅔ innings while posting a 2.79 ERA in his last seven starts.

The biggest pitching prize of this summer could be two-time Cy Young Award-winner Tarik. Several teams are said to be interested, but the Detroit Tigers were one of MLB's hottest teams before the All-Star break. The Tigers may now be inclined to hold onto their ace and make a run at the postseason.

With the Reds living in the basement of the NL Central, it's likely that Singer will be dealt prior to the August 3 deadline. But Milwaukee's deal with Houston may have fast-tracked a potential move, and pitching-starved teams could begin calling Nick Krall with more urgency now that the first domino has fallen.

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