Could Baltimore Orioles Be Interested In Acquiring Houston Astros Star?

If the Baltimore Orioles are looking for upgrades, they should reach out regarding the availability of this star player.

Apr 30, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) reacts after retiring the side against the Cleveland Guardians during the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the many teams who know they are going to be buyers around the trade deadline in hopes of upgrading their roster as much as possible before the postseason begins.

That's what getting off to a great start during the year affords.

Instead of being unsure about what they might do, like teams who are hovering around the playoff bubble, the Orioles are able to start assessing certain weak spots on their team and put together a list of players they could target.

Right now, there are a couple different areas they could address.

Starting pitching is dominating the discourse right now after John Means and Tyler Wells underwent Tommy John surgery and will be out the remainder of the season. General manager Mike Elias said he's not going to make a hasty decision about anything and is going to give their internal options a look.

Depending on how newly-promoted Cade Povich performs, that could impact things greatly.

Baltimore's bullpen is also an area that could be upgraded.

Craig Kimbrel has been a bit of a roller coaster, despite the fact he has only officially blown three save opportunities out of the 17 he's been presented with. They also have the seventh-best ERA as a unit coming into Saturday with a 3.42.

Still, arms are a premium and they could look to make a move.

If that's what the Orioles want to do, then there's a chance they might be able to bring in a former World Series champion and elite reliever.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, he thinks there's a chance the Houston Astros trade away Ryan Pressly who has not had a great year in his new role after they brought in Josh Hader.

"Pressly's the one guy I could see them trading. Setting up for them, hasn't done as well there as he's done as a closer. People know he's a great closer. I think they could get a lot for him if they did trade Pressly."

Ok, that's intriguing.

If the Astros are looking for a return, then there is no better team equipped to send them something of interest than Baltimore.

What the Orioles would have to figure out is if are going to maintain Pressly in the setup role, something he's struggle with in 2024 to the tune of a 5.01 ERA compared to the sub-4.00 arm he's been since he joined Houston.

Kimbrel is a guy who has been historically much better in the ninth inning than any other frame, plus manager Brandon Hyde is confident in the veteran and wants to keep him in that role.

Maybe a change of scenery would be something that gets Pressly back on track as nobody in Baltimore's clubhouse would look at him as a player who had his originial role taken away from him, and instead, would see him as someone brought in to help them win a championship.

Either way, the World Series champion is an interesting name to monitor.