The Ryan Pressly trade still leaves the Cubs room for more acquisitions

As you know, Sunday the Cubs acquired reliever Ryan Pressly from the Astros when he agreed to waive his no-trade clause. The trade is not official yet, pending medical review. Also, the Cubs will have to remove someone from the 40-man roster when it is official, and a second player will have to go when the Jon Berti trade is officially announced.

Anyway, this trade came at a very reasonable cost, both in dollars and prospects. The Astros are reportedly sending $5.5 million to cover a portion of Pressly’s $14 million deal for 2025. So the Cubs are going to wind up paying only $8.5 million, a very reasonable price for a reliever of Pressly’s talent and age. It’s less, for example, than they likely would have had to pay for David Robertson, who’s nearly four years older. And the prospect sent to Houston, Juan Bello, has talent but is likely four years away from the major leagues, if he makes it.

If Pressly should falter at closer, the Cubs could slot Porter Hodge in the role. Hodge did a good job closing games the last couple months of 2024.

(Fun fact: Pressly and new Cubs lefty Caleb Thielbar were teammates with the Twins for three years, from 2013-15. Another Twins teammate back then: Former Cub Brian Duensing.)

Anyway: That’s not the point of this article. Two weeks ago Dep and I ran another Cubs payroll update, in which Dep concluded the Cubs were about $40 million under the first luxury tax level. Even adding the reported contracts for Berti ($2 million plus incentives) and Pressly ($8.5 million against the tax), the Cubs are still almost $30 million under that tax level.

This would, you would think, allow the Cubs room to add a starting pitcher. Jack Flaherty is still out there unsigned, or maybe the Cubs could put on a push to trade for Dylan Cease, though I don’t know whether the Padres are still interested in dealing Cease, who is in his last year before free agency.

So what do you think? Should the Cubs add a starter? Another reliever? A position player? That’s a lot of money to just sit on.

Have at it.

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