Ryan Pressly DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Chicago Cubs closer Ryan Pressly notched his first save of the season in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Diamondbacks, but it wasn't without drama. The righty came on in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run lead, but after a leadoff single, Eugenio Suarez belted his fourth home run of the season, and the lead quickly evaporated to one run. Two more batters would reach before pinch runner Garrett Hampson would bail Pressly out by overrunning third base on Corbin Carroll's infield single, with Hampson getting tagged out to end the game. Pressly finished with two earned runs allowed on four hits and one walk while striking out one. In his first appearance during the Tokyo Series, the 36-year-old walked three batters, and on Thursday, he allowed two hits and a run, so we've yet to see a clean inning from the veteran. We'll see how long the Cubs give him to right the ship, but more of this and it could be time to turn to Porter Hodge, who was the Cubs' closer down the stretch last season.

The Chicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro reports that veteran right-hander reliever Ryan Pressly was told he will close some games his new team, the Chicago Cubs, in 2025. Pressly also added that he will head into spring training in February competing for the ninth-inning role after Porter Hodge filled in admirably in the closer role in 2024. Pressly thinks both he and Hodge will be a "pretty dynamic duo" at the back end of the Cubs' bullpen. The 36-year-old Pressly should probably be considered the favorite for saves in Chicago just because of his experience factor, but he should be considered a low-end fantasy closer after showing clear signs of decline the last several years in Houston. He did pick up 25 holds as a setup man for the Astros in 2024, but his strikeout and walk rates and velocity have been trending down, and he'll be an injury risk as well.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Chicago Cubs have acquired Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly in exchange for right-handed pitcher Juan Bello. The Astros will also be covering some of Pressly's salary. Earlier this week, several teams attempted to acquire the former closer, but Pressly did not waive his no-trade clause. However, Pressly agreed to the deal to send him to the Northside. Seeing that Pressly waived his no-trade clause suggests the Cubs will likely give him ninth-inning duties to open the campaign. In addition, this transaction does open the door for Alex Bregman to return to Houston. Last season, Pressly operated primarily as a setup man for Josh Hader. Across 56 1/3 innings of work, the 36-year-old posted a 3.49 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. He struck out 58 batters and tallied 25 holds. Fantasy managers should expect Pressly to see most of the save opportunities with Porter Hodge reverting to the setup role.