Houston Astros Late Inning Relief Ace Named Offseason Trade Candidate

The Houston Astros have a big offseason ahead of them, and one of their long time relievers has been named a trade candidate.

Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) throws against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The offseason is all about Alex Bregman for the Houston Astros, but they do have other needs heading into 2025. First base and the rotation need to be addressed first and foremost. That being said, reliever and former closer Ryan Pressly has been named as a trade candidate by MLB Trade Rumors.

Pressly was once the long time closer for the Astros, but lost his job when the team brought in Josh Hader in free agency. Pressly recorded just four saves in 2024 to go along with his 3.49 ERA and 9.2 K/9.

This comes on the heels of two straight 30 save seasons, including his career season in 2022. In 50 games that season, he threw 48.1 innings to the tune of a 12.1 K/9, 2.98 ERA and a career high 33 saves.

The fact that the right hander lost his job was not due to his performance in 2023 when he recorded 31 saves, but because the pedigree and contract of Hader. With Hader, Bryan Abreu and Tayler Scott now firmly entrenched in the bullpen, Pressly becomes the odd man out.

The 35-year-old will hit free agency in 2026, meaning that he has one year of control left at $14 million, according to Spotrac. The only trick is that Pressly has 10-to-5 rights meaning he will have to accept the trade.

Given Pressly's track record, he could be very attractive to many other teams looking for a high leverage reliever for a playoff push.

Even going into his 13th season, the right hander still showed he has it in 2024. He had a chase percentage of 31.5 percent which was in the 81st percentile. Not only that, but he had a ground ball percentage in the 85th percentile.

He's also a proven postseason performer, boosting his pedigree even more. In 47 career postseason appearances, Pressly has a 2.78 ERA with 14 saves.

Even though he may not be the pitcher he had been, Pressly could still be a valuable bullpen piece to another team. It would also allow Houston to get some money off the books to make room in the budget for a big move, such as Alex Bregman or Pete Alonso.

This could wind up being an offseason full of tough decisions for the Houston Astros, especially if two World Series stars in Bregman and Pressly both leave. It's the beginning of a new era in Houston.