After 6 1/2 strong seasons in Houston, Astros reliever Ryan Pressly is on the move. Waiving his no-trade clause, the Astros are trading Pressly to the Chicago Cubs, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Pressly became one of the most reliable closers in baseball over his years in Houston, with a 2.78 ERA in 45.1 postseason innings, and famously got the final out vs the Philadelphia Phillies to win the 2022 World Series.
Pressly was traded to Houston in the 2018 season, first serving as a setup man behind Roberto Osuna. A few years later, Pressly would become the Astros full-time closer, racking up 26 saves in 2021, 33 saves in 2022 and 31 saves in 2023. The Astros would sign free agent closer Josh Hader last offseason, sliding Pressly back to a setup role.
With Bryan Abreu poised to lock down the setup role, the Astros saw an opportunity to shed Pressly's contract in an attempt to get below the first luxury tax threshold.
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