The Astros have had a busy offseason, but the team has likely taken a step back. Last season, the Astros were shockingly eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card Round.
Losing to the Tigers and snapping their lengthy streak of making the ALCS has seemingly sent the Astros into a bit of a retool.
While Houston knew that they would have some key free agents, the shocking move was to trade their star outfielder Kyle Tucker. That decision was a big indication of how the offseason was going to look for Houston.
In addition to sending Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, they recently traded another key player to them as well—Ryan Pressly.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently graded the recent trade of Pressly to the Cubs. For the Astros, he gave them a grade of a ‘D’, labeling it another bad move by the franchise.
“This grade has a lot to do with the way of this trade for the Astros, who upset Pressly when they signed Josh Hader to be their new closer last winter.”
The decision to move Pressly appears to be mostly a financial decision for the Astros. Despite getting two third baseman back in the trade for Tucker, there seems to be a new desire to bring back Alex Bregman.
This offseason has been an interesting one to say the least for the Astros. Some of the decisions that they have made make it hard to currently see what their plan is for both in 2025 and beyond.
In terms of trading Pressly, this will have a significant impact on their bullpen. Pressly was a very good closer for the team for a number of years before they signed Josh Hader last offseason. By signing Hader, it moved Pressly into the setup role, which he didn’t appear to be thrilled with.
Now, the veteran right-hander will have a chance to once again be the closer with Chicago, but bridging the gap to get to Hader will be a challenge for the Astros.
While the poor grade certainly makes sense now, it could improve if the money that they are saving by trading the veteran relief pitcher is reallocated into signing a player like Bregman.
Even if Bregman’s fit with Houston seems interesting as of now with the new players that they have brought in, he is still an impact player both in the lineup and on the field.
For a team that is believed to be trying to contend, trading their setup man and getting very little in return as of now isn’t a good move. However, it could be part of a bigger picture, which would make it understandable.
