Chicago White Sox pitcher Adrian Houser. Chet Strange-Imagn Images

Former Brewers starter boasting impressive ERA with new team

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Robin M Adams | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 8:01 PM ET

The Milwaukee Brewers have built one of the best starting rotations in Major League Baseball basically on the fly. When injuries to multiple pitchers during spring training and early in the season, the Brewers were forced to build a rotation around ace Freddy Peralta that could compete to win games.

And they did so with incredible effect.

Following Peralta in the starting rotation now are rookies Chad Patrick, Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski, as well as veteran Jose Quintana. Additionally, Milwaukee expects two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff to return this weekend, meaning that one of their young pitchers will soon be changing jobs, whether that be a move to the bullpen or a demotion to Triple-A (where the Brewers also have Tobias Myers and Logan Henderson).

Indeed, getting and keeping a job as a starting pitcher in the Majors is tough to do, a lesson Adrian Houser learned the hard way.

Adrian Houser found himself out of a job with the Milwaukee Brewers

It was not long ago that the Brewers were boasting a starting rotation that consisted of Peralta, Woodruff and 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Indeed, those three All-Stars were among the best three-headed monster in baseball during their time together.

But Milwaukee also had some solid starters to fill out the back end of its rotation, and one of whom was Houser. In 2021, his best full season in the Majors, he was 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 28 games (26 starts) for Milwaukee.

However, as solid as he could be, Houser struggled to stay healthy and, therefore, his job in the starting rotation. In 2022, he was 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA, and in 2023 finished 8-5 with a 4.12 ERA. He made 21 starts in each of those seasons.

And so, at the end of the 2023 season, Milwaukee traded him and Tyrone Taylor to the New York Mets for Coleman Crow (who is 4-0 with a 2.51 ERA in 10 starts in the minors this year).

Houser is dominating after bouncing around baseball

In 2024, his lone season with the Mets, Houser was 1-5 with a 5.84 ERA in 23 games (seven starts). After being released by New York on July 31 of last year, Houser was signed and then released by the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers.

His release from the Rangers came on May 15 of this year, and he was quickly scooped up by the lowly Chicago White Sox, one of MLB’s worst teams.

And he has become one of their lone bright spots.

In eight games (all starts) in Chicago, Houser is currently 4-2 with a 1.60 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. If he keeps this kind of performance going over the next couple of months, he could be a hot name on the market as the MLB trade deadline approaches.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: