After a couple of days of hypothesis, Ryan Pressly has agreed to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade safety to okay a deal that may ship the veteran reliever from the Astros to the Cubs. Houston will obtain right-handed pitching prospect Juan Bello in return, plus the Astros are sending $5.5MM together with Pressly to assist the Cubs cowl among the righty’s $14MM wage for the 2025 season. In trade for agreeing to the deal, Pressly will obtain a brand new no-trade clause, plus an project bonus to cowl the tax distinction in relocating from Texas to Illinois. The commerce will change into official as soon as the usual medical evaluations are full.
Pressly has been thought-about a commerce candidate for a lot of the offseason, and possibly even way back to August, when he hit the minimal variety of appearances to set off the vesting choice in his contract. Initially a two-year, $30MM extension, Pressly gained a 3rd 12 months and an additional $14MM by making 124 appearances over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, blowing previous the vesting threshold of 110 appearances. Whereas the Astros clearly valued the right-hander extremely just by dint of that frequent utilization, Houston has been working with pretty restricted payroll area this winter, making a $14MM wage for a reliever coming into his age-36 season appear a little bit dear for his or her finances.
We already noticed proof of the Astros’ monetary maneuverings in one other main commerce with the Cubs, when Kyle Tucker was despatched to Wrigleyville for a commerce package deal of Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and prospect Cam Smith. Like Pressly, Tucker was managed simply by way of the 2025 season, and he’ll be making $16.5MM in his last 12 months of arbitration eligibility. The Astros have already used among the financial savings from the Tucker and Pressly trades in signing Christian Walker to a three-year, $60MM deal, and as we speak’s deal will certainly add extra gas to the hypothesis {that a} reunion is likely to be potential between Houston and Alex Bregman.
RosterResource estimates the Astros’ 2025 payroll at roughly $217.6MM, with a luxurious tax variety of $236.3M. This represents a drop from the Astros’ $244MM payroll and $262MM tax quantity in 2024, although Houston is presently nonetheless a bit over the $241MM tax line. Proprietor Jim Crane indicated that the Astros can be prepared to spend at their 2024 ranges beneath the fitting circumstances, so re-signing Bregman stays at the very least a risk, now that more cash has been cleared off the books.
USA Right now’s Bob Nightengale reported three days in the past {that a} Cubs/Pressly commerce was “on the verge” of being finalized, although some late hurdles emerged, similar to some obvious late curiosity from the Tigers and Blue Jays. Pressly finally held the ultimate say given his no-trade safety, and it appears as if he selected Chicago over Detroit as his subsequent touchdown spot.
Right now’s information formally ends Pressly’s very profitable run in Houston, which started when the Astros acquired the righty from the Twins on the 2018 commerce deadline. Pressly posted a 2.81 ERA, 30.9% strikeout price, and 6.16% stroll price over 333 innings for the Astros, considerably flying beneath the radar as one of many more practical relievers in baseball. Past his regular-season work, Pressly posted a 2.78 ERA in 45 1/3 postseason innings for Houston, taking part in a giant position within the membership’s postseason success.
Initially used as a setup man, Pressly stepped into the nearer’s position in 2020 and excelled because the crew’s chief ninth-inning choice, however the Astros nonetheless opted to signal Josh Hader to a five-year, $95MM contract final winter. With Hader on board, Pressly was moved again to setup work final season, however he’ll now be Chicago’s high saves candidate, which Nightengale mentioned was one of many assurances Pressly acquired to be able to get him to approve the commerce.
Rookie Porter Hodge pitched nicely after changing into the Cubs’ nearer final 12 months, and whereas Hodge might be nonetheless seen because the nearer of the longer term, Pressly brings far more expertise and an extended monitor file of high quality. Hodge will definitely nonetheless be utilized in high-leverage conditions, and Pressly’s addition bumps everybody within the Cubs bullpen down a spot on the depth chart to strengthen all the aid corps.
Pressly is essentially the most outstanding new face in a Cubs bullpen that has additionally added Eli Morgan and Caleb Thielbar to the combo this offseason. Reduction pitching was a transparent want for the Cubs given how accidents drastically hampered their pen down the stretch final season, although the acquisitions nonetheless mirror Jed Hoyer’s choice of not over-investing within the aid market. The Cubs did attempt to make a giant splash because the runners-up to signing Tanner Scott, however with Scott off the board, Chicago pivoted away from one other long-term choices like Carlos Estevez to as an alternative tackle Pressly, who’s a free agent subsequent winter. Some extra strikes is likely to be coming, as The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, Patrick Mooney, and Sahadev Sharma report that the Cubs stay desirous about including to their aid corps even after buying Pressly.
The underside-line outcomes have been nonetheless strong for Pressly in 2024, although there have been some purple flags in age-35 marketing campaign. Pressly’s strikeout, stroll, and whiff charges have been solely barely above league common, representing important dropoff from his numbers in each classes only a season in the past. On the plus aspect, Pressly continued to generate grounders at a powerful 48.8% price, and his capability to maintain the ball on the bottom has lengthy helped the right-hander counter-act his penchant for permitting laborious contact. Pressly additionally once more was the among the many league leaders in curveball and fastball spin charges, persevering with his career-long run of elite spin.
As for Houston’s bullpen, the Astros determine to be looking out for some bullpen assist to fill the void left behind from Pressly’s departure. Relying once more on how a lot GM Dana Brown has out there to spend, the crew might pursue some lower-cost arms, or maybe make extra of a much bigger strike if Bregman certainly goes elsewhere and the Astros gained’t be including one other main long-term wage. Bryan Abreu, Tayler Scott, Kaleb Ort, and Bryan King mission as the highest setup or high-leverage choices in entrance of Hader in Houston’s present pen.
Bello (who turns 21 in April) was a global signing for Chicago throughout the 2022 signing interval, and he had a 3.21 ERA, 25.1% strikeout price, and seven.7% stroll price in 89 2/3 innings for the Cubs’ A-ball affiliate in Myrtle Seaside final season. Whereas not ranked amongst the Cubs’ high 30 prospects by both MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, BA’s scouting report cites his four-pitch arsenal and elevated capability to seek out strikeouts with a number of of his choices. “He matches the Astros’ organizational philosophy of creating pitchers with three or extra secondaries to play off of their fastball,” in keeping with BA’s write-up.
The Athletic’s Chandler Rome was the primary to report that Pressly agreed to the commerce, and that at the very least one prospect was heading to Houston from Chicago. ESPN’s Jeff Passan added the element that the Astros can be masking some wage, with USA Right now’s Bob Nightengale reporting the $5.5MM greenback determine. Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. reported Bello’s involvement within the commerce package deal. The New York Put up’s Jon Heyman had the extra particulars about Pressly’s new no-trade safety, in addition to the project bonus.
Picture courtesy of USA Right now Sports activities Photos
