Houston Astros Favored to Move On From Veteran Closer
The Houston Astros have battled back into playoff contention and are no longer expected to have a fire sale, but could some veterans still be headed to new homes?
As Aaron Gleeman and Eno Sarris made their comprehensive list of players expected to be made available at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, Houston's veteran setup man Ryan Pressly was listed as one of the top relievers.
While Pressly is a valuable veteran, he hasn't done as well in his new role this season and a parting of ways could be beneficial for both sides.
He had been a closer for the past three seasons with the Astros and excelled, but the switch back to the set-up role has seen a dip in effectiveness. Another contending team that needs a closer could look to the righty with the hopes of turning back the clock to a year ago.
Through 33 games, the Texas native has a 4.40 ERA and a career-high 1.435 WHIP.
He's bumped up the usage on his four-seam fastball and it's lost about 1 MPH on average, which has made it a lot more hittable. His normally extremely valuable slider has been getting rocked this season as well.
Now, to be fair to him, his xERA and FIP are a bit lower which points to his defense letting him down with a little bit of luck not being on his side.
Batters just aren't being fooled by his pitches at the same rate that they used to, which has put a big damper on his effectiveness as someone that has thrived with strikeouts.
The 35-year-old has a 3.20 ERA in save situations with just a 1.093 WHIP.
The top available reliever was always assumed to be Oakland Athletics star Mason Miller, but it's looking less likely that he'll be traded by the day. That fact combined with the fact that more teams are in contention than eliminated and the scarce market could drive up the price of valuable pitchers.
Pressly is making $15 million and will be a free agent at the end of the season. He'll have a better resume as a closer than some others on the list.
Instead of using him in the less effective role, Houston could trade for an okay prospect to fill in the farm system, which could open them up to trade away others for bigger positions of need such as a starting pitcher or first baseman.
DYLAN SANDERS
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders