The Houston Astros have been surprising active on the trade market this offseason. Obviously the most glaring example here is when they sent Kyle Tucker to the Cubs in one of the biggest trades of the offseason period, but they have entertained a number of deals this winter including multiple attempts to try and unload Ryan Pressly.
The logic for the Astros here is straightforward: they are facing a payroll crunch while still wanting to remain involved in Alex Bregman's market. Most of their available salary space went towards making sure they landed Christian Walker, so any other big move like Bregman will probably require trading away Pressly and his $14 million in 2025 money.
However, trade talks surrounding Pressly have hit a snag as he has yet to waive his no-trade clause which is obviously a problem when you are trying to, you know, trade a guy. That hasn't seemed to deter the Astros too much as they have officially asked Pressly to approve a trade with the Cubs.
The ball is now in Ryan Pressly’s court. The Astros have asked the relief star if he will approve a trade to the Cubs. Pressly has full no-trade and never wanted to leave Houston, where he and his family live year-round. But he may find the Cubs and a return to closing enticing.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 24, 2025
Another Astros trade with the Cubs is close as Houston asks Ryan Pressly to waive no-trade clause
This is a bit weird because most of the reporting has been that Pressly wasn't waiving his no-trade clause in response to Chicago's interest just yesterday. However, talks are almost certainly going on behind the scenes to try and convince Pressly to be more agreeable.
What is clear from this development is that Houston definitely has an offer on the table from the Cubs that they like for Pressly. Whether or not such an offer consists mostly of Chicago taking on all of Pressly's salary or if the Astros are also getting some young talent of note in addition to the salary relief remains to be seen.
Stay tuned, Astros fans. There is going to be some resolution to the Pressly saga soon and if Houston can swing this trade, there could be more fireworks coming after that.