Houston Astros Trade Key Reliever to Chicago Cubs

The Houston Astros have agreed to a deal to send right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs, with Pressly agreeing to waive his no-trade clause, and the Astros sending some money to help cover his $14 million salary, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
This is the second big deal between the two clubs this offseason, with Houston previously sending Kyle Tucker to the Cubs in exchange for Isaac Paredes, righty Hayden Wesneski, and prospect Cam Smith, who currently ranks as the No. 59 prospect in MLB according to MLB Pipeline.
Houston went 88-73 a season ago, winning the AL West. With their biggest competition, the Seattle Mariners, not having made a ton of moves this winter, these deals may not prevent the club from competing yet again, at least in the division.
Houston is also currently without third baseman Alex Bregman, and whether they bring him back, or a similar piece into the mix this offseason could be something to keep an eye on.
The A's are a team on the rise, with numerous young, talented players reaching the big leagues. Over the course of the second half of the 2024 season, the club was a .500 team, which has them believing they can achieve similar results in 2025, if not more.
The Athletics have added Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs to their starting rotation, giving them two solid, veteran arms to build from. They also added former Texas Rangers closer José Leclerc to provide depth in the bullpen, with Leclerc serving as the bridge to Mason Miller. This also allows the club to move Tyler Ferguson and Michel Otañez to earlier innings.
In looking at the moves that Houston has made thus far this winter, they have subtracted a total of 3.1 WAR from their roster, mainly due to the Tucker trade. Pressly was worth 0.8 WAR last season, holding a 3.49 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP.
If the A's baseline is a .500 team, which isn't a certainty, and then you add in the moves they've made this winter, they could be a team that could potentially challenge a slightly diminished Astros team next season. Houston has won the West in seven of the past eight seasons. The only exception was in 2020 when the A's went 36-24, taking the division by seven games in the shortened season.
We'll have to see what other moves each team makes ahead of pitchers and catchers reporting to camp to see if we'll have a race on our hands.