Houston Astros Having 'Internal Discussions' About Trading Star Reliever

It seems like the Houston Astros could be looking to move on from one of their star relievers this offseason.

Aug 5, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) walks off the field after he pitches against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have a massive decision to make regarding the future of Alex Bregman, and based on comments made by general manager Dana Brown, it sounds like they are doing all they can to bring him back.

That seems to be the right decision.

There is no clear-cut replacement who could come in and have the same type of production at the plate and in the field that he would have.

This is a much different situation than when the Astros let Gerrit Cole leave a stacked rotation, when George Springer departed center field and there were multiple backfill candidates, and Jeremey Pena was ready to take over for Carlos Correa at shortstop.

Shay Whitcomb and Zach Dezenzo could become solid players at some point during their careers, but in no way would they be able to duplicate what Bregman will provide in 2025 as Houston chases another World Series title.

Because of that, Brown and his front office are already thinking about ways to get creative when trying to upgrade other positions if they are able to re-sign their star third baseman.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that could mean one of their star relievers is moved.

"The Astros have had internal discussions about trading setup man Ryan Pressly, according to two people briefed on the conversations, perhaps a signal that Brown is exploring avenues to get further away from the luxury tax," he reports.

That's interesting.

After they landed Josh Hader this past winter by handing him the most lucrative deal ever for a closer, that pushed Ryan Pressly into the setup role he currently occupies.

Trading him to get something back in return would not be a bad idea.

Despite the fact this hypothetical deal would reduce the amount of top arms that would come out of the backend of Houston's bullpen in 2025 and beyond, there are also a surplus of starting arms coming back next season that could allow manager Joe Espada to move a few of those players into the bullpen as long relievers.

It's also not a given that Luis Garcia or Lance McCullers Jr. will be able to regain their past form when they were very good starters, so perhaps they become relievers in their first year back.

There are options for the Astros, so trading away Pressly isn't as farfetched as it might have seemed not too long ago, especially since he will be 36 years old and cost $14 million in 2025.