He Houston Astros They’re back in contention for playoff contention and are no longer expected to have a fire sale, but could some? Veterans are still heading to new homes?
As Aaron Gleeman and Eno Sarris made his full list of players expected to be available at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, Houston Veteran coach Ryan Pressly He was classified as one of the best relievers.
While Pressly is a valuable veteran, he hasn’t fared as well in his new role this season and a parting of ways could be beneficial for both parties.
He had been a closer for the previous three seasons with the Astros and excelled, but the shift back to the setup role Has experienced a drop in effectivenessAnother contending team in need of a closer might look to the right-hander in hopes of turning back the clock a year.
In 33 games, the Texas native has a 4.40 ERA and a career-high 1.435 WHIP.
He has increased the usage of his four-seam fastball and has lost about 1 MPH on average, making it much easier to hit. His slider, normally extremely valuable, has also been experiencing hiccups this season.
Now, to be fair to him, his xERA and FIP are a bit lower, indicating that his defense is letting him down and a little luck isn’t on his side.
Hitters simply aren’t fooled by his pitches at the same rate as they once were, which has put a huge damper on his effectiveness as someone who has thrived on strikeouts.
The 35-year-old has a 3.20 ERA in save situations with a WHIP of just 1.093.
It was always assumed that the best reliever available would be Oakland A’s star Mason Miller, but it seems less likely by the day that he will be traded. That fact, combined with the fact that there are more teams in contention than eliminated and the market being thin, could drive up the price of valuable pitchers.
Pressly will make $15 million and be a free agent at the end of the season. He’ll have a better resume as a closer than some others on the roster.
Instead of using him in the least effective role, Houston could trade for an acceptable prospect to fill out the farm system, which could open the door for them to Trading others for a larger positions of need, such as a starting pitcher or first baseman.