Astros star relief pitcher not committed to trade to Cubs

MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros
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The Houston Astros have completely retooled their team this offseason. They moved Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Isaac Parades, and they nearly sent another star player to Chicago.

Astros’ Ryan Pressly won’t commit to a trade with the Cubs

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Thursday that the Cubs were “on the verge” of acquiring closer Ryan Pressly from the Astros. However, Pressly has a full no-trade clause and would have to waive it for any trade to go through, and it doesn’t appear that he is willing to do that for the Cubs, at least for now:

“Astros relief star Ryan Pressly, pursued seriously by 3 teams, has full no-trade and told the Astros he’s disinclined to go East or West. So that’s a “no” for Jays, 1 of the teams. He hasn’t committed either way yet on Cubs, who’re trying,” Jon Heyman of the New York Post posted on X Friday morning.

MLB: Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros
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Pressly lost his closer role with the Astros last season following the arrival of Josh Hader. Pressly recorded a 3.49 ERA in 56.2 innings pitched. His 58 strikeouts were the lowest he had in a full season with at least 50 innings pitched.

The Astros are looking to shed some salary

Though he is still a solid reliever, the Astros are looking to move him to shed some salary. The right-hander is projected to make $14 million in the 2025 season, a contract that was given to him with the expectation that he would be the closer.

MLB: Playoffs-Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros
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With him also being at age 36, the Astros looking to move him makes sense to retool the bullpen into a younger group. The Cubs would greatly benefit from acquiring Pressly, especially after they missed out on Tanner Scott, who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a four-year, $72 million deal.

However, chances are increasing that Pressly will not waive his no-trade clause for a trade with the Cubs, meaning that they will have to pivot elsewhere in the market. With Spring Training less than four weeks away, available options will come off the board quickly, so the Cubs need to approach this final stretch of the offseason with some urgency.

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