The Chicago Cubs made two trades with the Houston Astros last offseason. One trade has worked out tremendously, while the other has not worked out as expected.
The Chicago Cubs made two trades with the Houston Astros last offseason. Kyle Tucker has been great, but Ryan Pressly has not been the star the Cubs may have expected.
Pressly has a 3.79 ERA, but the Cubs traded for him thinking he could be their closer. Pressly had 90 saves in three seasons from 2021-2023. However, Josh Hader's arrival forced him out of the closer's role. Now, Daniel Palencia has taken over as the Cubs closer. Pressly will be a free agent after the season.
Pressly has simply not turned out to be the player the Cubs expected. However, he is a solid rental and could be of more value to a different contender. FanSided's Christopher Kline tabbed Pressly as a player who may not be as safe as he thinks he is at the trade deadline.
"The talented righty has turned things around somewhat are a brutal start to the campaign, but he's no longer dependable in high-leverage situations," wrote Kline. "As such, the Cubs might explore moving him, even as Hoyer scours the market for additional bullpen weapons. Pressly has a -0.2 fWAR so far this season, among the worst on Chicago's pitching staff, but his ERA is down to 3.79 and he's something of a name brand. A contender looking for depth pieces with no strings attached could easily talk itself into Pressly as a cheap addition with upside if he can achieve pre-Cubs form. It's only a half-season rental if things go south and he won't cost much of anything in terms of prospect capital."
The Cubs are in a position to make a run, so trading away assets may not actually be in the cards. However, the Cubs may feel they can add a piece for the future without sacrificing too much by trading Pressly.
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"If the Cubs can get a semi-intriguing top-30 prospect and get off of Pressly's money, thus freeing up more to spend elsewhere, that feels like a win-win. Pressly would surely welcome a new situation with less pressure," wrote Kline. "His 1.49 WHIP and incredibly low strikeout rate (26 K's in 40.1 innings) are troubling, but just last season Pressly was producing a whiff rate in the 98th percentile. Someone will bite."
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Category: Baseball
