Dana Brown is finally considering cutting bait with one of the Astros’ weakest links in 2024.
The Astros bullpen did not perform as expected in 2024.
The Houston Astros made an unexpected splash in the 2023 offseason, winning the Josh Hader sweepstakes. They inked arguably the best closer in baseball at the time to a massive five-year deal, bumping long-time closer Ryan Pressly to an eighth-inning role.
The role change proved to be an uneven one at best for Pressly, who posted a 3.49 ERA in 59 regular season appearances but had eight blown saves during the regular season, and struggled in his lone postseason appearance. The Astros expected games to essentially be over after six innings when they had leads with Bryan Abreu, Pressly, and Hader looming, but it just never worked out that way from the start.
With his struggles in mind, it comes as little surprise to see the Astros reportedly discussing the possibility of trading Pressly this offseason according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required).
“The Astros have had internal discussions about trading setup man Ryan Pressly, according to two people briefed on the conversations, perhaps a signal that Brown is exploring avenues to get further away from the luxury tax,” writes Rome. “Most outside approximations put the Astros around $10 million below the first threshold when accounting for their projected arbitration salaries.”
Pressly is set to make $14 million in 2025, a substantial amount for any reliever, especially a set-up man who was far from perfect in 2024. Trading him makes sense, but Rome outlines a couple of reasons why there’s reason to believe that a trade would be easier said than done.
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Ryan Pressly might be on trade block following disappointing 2024 season
First and foremost, Pressly has a full no-trade clause in his contract. He might accept a trade to a team that allows him to close in 2025, but will he be given that kind of guarantee following a down year? Additionally, the Astros are a team capable of winning in 2025, and Pressly’s family is connected to Houston.
Even if Pressly would be willing to welcome a trade, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Would a team be willing to take on the money? If so, would the Astros get anything of value in return? A soon-to-be 36-year-old reliever coming off a down year making $14 million on the final year of his deal isn’t exactly valuable on the trade market. It’s hard to envision the Astros landing a better player than the one they’d be trading away in this case without, at the very least, eating part of the contract or taking more money back.
If the Astros are just trying to clear money, perhaps they can find a taker for Pressly without getting much in return. If the Astros are trying to get the best player possible in return, they might have to be willing to take on some money, which in the middle of their Alex Bregman pursuit, might not be ideal.
It’ll be interesting to see which direction Dana Brown pursues with Pressly. The Astros don’t need him with Hader and Abreu locked in, but their bullpen – which already lacks depth – would take a hit if they traded and failed to replace him even after his subpar season.
