Why Ryan Pressly Waived His No-Trade Clause to Join the Cubs

It wasn't an easy decision for Ryan Pressly to approve a trade to go from the Astros to the Cubs. Here's why he did.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 02: Rafael Montero #47, Bryan Abreu #52 and Ryan Pressly #55 of the Houston Astros celebrate after pitching for a combined no-hitter to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 in Game Four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 02, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Whether or not to leave Houston for Chicago wasn’t a decision Ryan Pressly made lightly.

He worked hard to carve out a long career. He worked hard to become an integral part of the Houston Astros‘ bullpen over the last 6 1/2 seasons.

All of that work earned the 36-year-old Pressly his 10-and-5 rights, which gives players who have accrued 10 years of service time and spent the past five consecutive years with the same team the ability veto any trade scenario.

Essentially working with a no-trade clause, Pressly controlled his own future. So, when the Astros and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a deal to send him to the Windy City, it was up to him to make the final call.

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But it’s not like he came to his decision with ease.

Making the Move to Chicago

The trade, which the clubs officially announced Tuesday morning, came after having what Pressly said were “a lot of long, hard conversations with family and friends.” His wife, Kat, is from Houston, his children were born there — he even did his introductory presser via Zoom from the school parking lot waiting for a parent-teacher conference — and it’s the place his family calls home.

Pressly is also from Dallas, which is a little under 250 miles from Houston. The commute to see family and friends back home wasn’t too difficult.

Plus, being in the American League West meant a couple extra road trips to play the Texas Rangers. That meant more opportunities to see friends and family during the season.

That’s not easy to leave.

“It was tough to make this decision,” Pressly said Wednesday afternoon. “Probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made.

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So why, then, did Pressly decide to waive his no-trade clause and make the move to Chicago?

For one, he had plenty of Cubs pitching him on making the move.

Jameson Taillon, who’s from The Woodlands (a suburb north of Houston) and has shared a trainer with Pressly, reached out to try to sell him on it.

Pressly estimated that “within 30 seconds after I waved it, Dansby [Swanson] texted me saying he’s excited for me to be there.” His former teammates in Kyle Tucker (Astros) and Caleb Thielbar (Minnesota Twins) and even pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, who was with Pressly in the Boston Red Sox organization, bring along prior relationships.

The familiar faces will help make the transition to a new ballclub easier. But that’s not all that attracted Pressly to the Cubs.

He also described the Cubs as “a pretty historic franchise.” He mentioned watching the 1993 film “Rookie of the Year” as a kid and other things that made pitching for the Cubs and at Wrigley Field something of a dream. Being able to accomplish that helped sway him into approving the trade.

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“It’s hard to leave your home,” Pressly said, “but an opportunity to go play for the Cubs came about, and it was one of these opportunities I don’t feel like comes around very often. It was a great opportunity. I’m just excited that the Cubs wanted me there. It’s always been kind of a dream, so I’m excited to be there.”

Of course, the opportunity to close again didn’t hurt the cause.

Pressly Could Return to a Familiar Role

After a four-season run as the Astros’ closer in which he collected the fourth-most saves (102) among all big-league relievers, Pressly shifted to a setup role last year after Houston acquired Josh Hader — a five-time All-Star, a three-time National League Reliever of the Year and one of the best closers in the game — on a five-year, $95 million contract.

Pressly didn’t lose the job, but he had to accept that it was no longer his and move forward.

“Pitching in the eighth inning, setting [Hader] up, I just wanted to help the team win. Didn’t matter, really, what I did,” Pressly said. “And learning from it, it was tough. You get demoted, and then you gotta go out there and be professional and try to lead the right way. That was, I think, one of the things that separates yourself from being an athlete and a professional. You want to carry yourself professionally.

“… Sometimes, it’s not going to go the way you want it to, but you just gotta keep your head up and just kind of do what you know how to do, and everything else will fall into place.”

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That said, the Cubs have been looking for veteran, back-end help.

Publicly, the Cubs didn’t say a closer — or even someone with closing experience — was a necessity. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer himself said during the recent Cubs Convention, “I think quality relievers, sometimes those guys have closed, sometimes they haven’t. It never hurts, but I don’t think it’s a prerequisite.”

But they didn’t have much in terms of options with a track record of success closing games. In 2024, Porter Hodge became the de facto closer by season’s end. He probably would’ve been the favorite to start the season with the job had Pressly not been brought in.

To be clear, Pressly hasn’t just been handed the role. He didn’t require a guarantee that he’d be the closer in order to approve the trade (though he did say he was told he would close some games).

He even noted Hodge’s success last season, where he picked up nine saves and posted a 1.88 ERA, and said they could be “a pretty dynamic duo in the back-end of the bullpen.”

Pressly acknowledged he’ll have to compete for the job in spring training, but he’ll be OK with whatever role he’s given once the season starts. It doesn’t matter if he’s the closer or not. He just wants to help the team win.

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Still, the opportunity to close again, which it didn’t appear he’d get in Houston, seemed to play a factor, too.

“You want to be in the back-end of the ‘pen. You want to close,” Pressly said. “It’s a different kind of adrenaline. I’m not saying that you don’t get it in the eighth inning, but to get those last three outs is pretty special. To have the team call on you to get those last three outs, it’s an honor. Pressure is privilege, right?

“I still feel like I can close. I want to still prove that I can close. An opportunity came up to where I could have that chance again, so I figured I could go capitalize on that opportunity and see what happens.”

The benefits from waiving his no-trade clause gave Pressly the comfort to move on from the Astros. Even still, while he embarks on his next chapter in Chicago, it isn’t easy for him to leave his home.

“Houston will always have a really, really special place in my heart,” Pressly said. “I loved being here. I loved my time here. It’s a great organization, but sometimes, it’s business, and you gotta go somewhere else.”