Astros right-hander Ryan Pressly is being “extensively shopped” on the trade market this winter, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. That’s not the first indication this winter that Pressly could be available, as a report emerged last month indicating that Houston had at least internally discussed dealing the veteran righty, but it’s nonetheless notable that the club has seeming begun shopping him to rival clubs on the trade market.
At the outset of the offseason, GM Dana Brown was candid about the fact that his club’s budget for this winter was looking tight. While the club has emphasized its desire to remain in contention next year, Brown acknowledged the club might have to get “creative” in addressing holes on the roster. That was a potentially ominous sign for a club that saw longtime third baseman Alex Bregman elect free agency last month, leaving them with holes at both infield corners along with room to improve on the outfield grass and in the starting rotation. RosterResource notes that the club is already on the hook for a projected $215MM payroll in 2025, just $20MM below their Opening Day payroll in 2024 and just $29MM below their end-of-season payroll this past year.
With such a tight budget, it’s easy to imagine 2024 being the end of Bregman’s tenure in Houston. That’s not something the Astros have been willing to concede to this point, however, as they’ve reportedly made an offer to Bregman since he reached free agency. The specifics of that offer aren’t entirely clear, but subsequent reporting has suggested there may be a gap between the sides as the Astros hope to retain Bregman on a deal in the range of six years and $156MM while Bregman hopes to land a deal worth at least $200MM. The uncertainty surrounding Bregman has led the Astros to consider potential fallback options, including first baseman Christian Walker and infielder Jorge Polanco, though it’s not hard to imagine Walker himself commanding an AAV that could land outside of the Astros’ comfort zone.
Whether it be in service of a more robust pursuit of Bregman or to increase their flexibility in the event he signs elsewhere, it makes plenty of sense for the Astros to consider dealing Pressly this winter. The 36-year-old hurler is due $14MM in the final year of his contract following a solid but unspectacular 2024 season where he pitched to a 3.49 ERA and 3.10 FIP in a late-inning role after being bumped from the closer role by the club’s deal for Josh Hader last winter. Pressly’s results remained solid, but his peripheral numbers took a step back as his 23.8% strikeout rate was his worst since 2016 while his 7.4% walk rate was his worst in a 162-game season since 2018.
While Pressly is obviously still a quality reliever, he’d be unlikely to receive a $14MM AAV on the open market ahead of his age-36 season this winter. That lack of clear trade value could make a trade difficult for the Astros to pull off, and any trade talks figure to be further complicated by the fact that Pressly has full no-trade protection as a player with ten years of service time and five consecutive years with his current club. That means Pressly would have to approve a trade in order to be moved, and there’s no guarantee that the Dallas native who has previously signed multiple contract extensions with the Astros would be interested in leaving Houston.
Those obstacles are significant, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pressly remain in an Astros uniform next year because of them. They certainly don’t necessarily mean that a deal is impossible, however. It’s at least feasible that Pressly could have interest in being traded to a club that would be willing to use him in the ninth-inning after he racked up 102 saves in 118 chances (86.4% conversion rate) across his four years in the role with Houston. The Cubs, Red Sox, and Phillies are all among teams that could be in the market for help in the ninth inning this winter, and Nightengale suggests that Philadelphia could have particular interest in Pressly’s services.
Nightengale goes on to speculate that a deal involving Pressly and Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm could make sense for both clubs if the Astros fail to land Bregman, though it’s worth noting that Bohm figures to have more value on the trade market than Pressly so a straight one-for-one swap seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Chicago is known to have interest in dealing Cody Bellinger and Houston has reportedly checked in on Bellinger this winter. That makes a swap involving Bellinger and Pressly at least a theoretical fit between the two sides, though it’s unclear if discussions between the Cubs and Astros about Bellinger even involved other names much less Pressly in particular.