The Houston Astros have certainly been through their fair share of drama this offseason, although none of it has been too detrimental thus far. In addition to Astros fans feeling some sort of way about the Kyle Tucker trade, there has been Jose Altuve pleading for an Alex Bregman reunion, as well as the nixed Nolan Arenado trade. While the front office has navigated these treacherous waters well, it hasn'y felt particularly easy.
Another clear example is the ongoing effort to trade Ryan Pressly. Ever since the Astros signed Josh Hader last offseason, Pressly became expendable. Sure, having three relievers of the quality of Hader, Pressly, and Bryan Abreu to close out games is amazing on paper, but the reality has been a bit more muted in terms of results. There was also some whispers that Pressly wasn't thrilled about the demotion, despite him saying all the right things in public.
Given how much money Pressly is making — $14 million — and the Astros' current payroll situation, trading him has always made a good sense assuming that it came with total salary relief. However, a wrinkle emerged once talks progressed as Pressly did not seem overly inclined to waive his no-trade clause. The Chicago Cubs clearly want to acquire Pressly, and while a deal is not done yet, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal thinks that that will happen very soon.
"His pride was wounded."@Ken_Rosenthal expects a Cubs reunion for Ryan Pressly. pic.twitter.com/mmQlzUHPWc
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 26, 2025
Josh Hader's presence as Houston's closer may contribute to Astros-Cubs trade for Ryan Pressly
The amount of confidence that Rosenthal shows in the above clip is very telling and his explanation makes sense. Without equivocation, Rosenthal said that the trade "sounds like it is going to happen" while nodding emphatically during the whole line of questioning. In Chicago, Pressly would be the closer and while he may not be thrilled with the situation overall, Rosenthal sure seems to think that he will end up deciding to move on.
Interestingly, it was also mentioned that Pressly's pride was wounded after the Hader signing last winter. Everyone played nice in public after the move was made, but the reality seems to be that Pressly wasn't happy getting bumped out of the closer spot. Being in that highly-coveted role with the Cubs should be enough to get a deal across the finish line.
If a trade happens, the Astros' next steps will come into focus. One wonders if the Astros are pushing for the move now just to get their finances in order and call it a day or if it could allow them to make a more earnest push to bring Bregman back. One way or another, it sure sounds like we'll know the answer soon enough.