Well, it looks like the Chicago Cubs are nearing a deal to acquire their new closer. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Cubs and Houston Astros are getting close to working out a trade that will send veteran reliever Ryan Pressly to Chicago.
Earlier this week The Athletic reported that Pressly was among one of several high-leverage bullpen arms the Cubs were targeting after losing out on Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.
The Chicago Cubs on verge of acquiring closer Ryan Pressly from the Astros
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 23, 2025
Details of this trade might be tricky and the biggest hurdle is that Pressly has a no-trade clause. The 36-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the Astros and has a full no-trade clause.
According to an Astros’ beat reporter, Pressly has not waived that no-trade clause yet.
To be clear, Ryan Pressly is still on the block and could be traded. But no deal is imminent and he has not waived his no-trade clause for any deal. https://t.co/c2rbCz1jTc
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 23, 2025
Pressly, a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the Astros is owed $14 million for the 2025 season.
The right-handed reliever has 112 career saves with most of his closing experience coming from 2021-23, when he recorded 90 saves with the Astros. Pressly has a career 3.27 ERA in 650 MLB innings and has pitched well in the postseason, recording a 2.78 ERA in 47 playoff games.
In 2024, Pressly pitched in 59 games and had a 3.49 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched as the set-up man for Josh Hader in Houston.
So, we’ll see what comes from these conflicting reports. My guess is that Nightengale probably jumped the gun here, but a trade will eventually be finalized between the Cubs and Astros.
(Previous Update)
The Chicago Cubs are reportedly trying to trade for former All-Star closer Ryan Pressly. The veteran reliever is in the final year of his three-year deal with the Houston Astros and is set to earn $14 million in 2025. His contract also includes a no-trade clause, so finalizing a trade between the Cubs and Astros won’t be so cut-and-dried.
After losing out on Tanner Scott and then Kirby Yates to the Los Angeles Dodgers the Cubs continue to have ongoing discussions with several free agent closers in addition to having interest in Pressly. According to The Athletic, the Cubs have seriously considered signing more than 10 relievers this offseason.
Via The Athletic.
The group under consideration this winter, according to league sources briefed on the team’s discussions, has included Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, Ryan Pressly, Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek and Brooks Raley. For context, though, the list of relievers the Cubs have seriously evaluated easily reaches double digits.
Pressly has been a steady performer throughout his career, recording a 3.27 ERA in 650 MLB innings. The righty had 90 saves from 2021-23 with the Astros before he was moved back to a set-up role after Houston signed Josh Hader last offseason.
In 2024, Pressly’s numbers dipped a bit, as he posted a 3.49 ERA in 56.2 innings. While he does have plenty of closing experience, 112 career saves, and postseason success, a 2.78 ERA in 47 playoff games, there were definite red flags that popped up for the two-time All-Star last season.
Pressly’s fastball velocity has slowly been decreasing since 2021, going from 95.5mph down to 93.9mph in 2024. Coupled with that was the fact that Pressly’s strikeout rate, which had been at or above the 30% range for six straight years, finished at 23.8% last year.
