Two-time All-Star Ryan Pressly decided to retire after 13 Major League seasons. In a statement to Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Pressly said his decision “bittersweet, but what a way it went….The friendships — from the bullpen brothers to the vets who taught me along the way — those bonds last a lifetime. I’ll miss the banter in the ‘barn, the inside jokes that kept us comfortable on those high-class nights. But I’m excited about this next chapter with my family, and I’m looking forward to whatever adventure comes next. “
Pressing retired with a 3.33 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 48.5% slugging rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 691 1/3 career innings with the Twins, Astros, and Cubs. Since the start of the 2013 season, only six pitchers have appeared in more games than Pressly, who made 667 trips from the bullpen to the mound.
Never a big speed pitcher, Pressly excelled thanks to his excellent slider-curveball combination, and a ton of spin on both his curve and fastball. From 2017-25, Pressly ranked no lower than the 99th percentile of all pitchers in curveball spin, and no lower than the 95th percentile in fastball spin rate. These good spin rates helped Pressly miss a lot of at-bats, and turn a lot of difficult contact into easy outs.
Originally an 11th round pick of the Red Sox back in the 2007 draft, Pressly never pitched for Boston at the MLB level, as the Twins drafted him out of Boston’s farm system in the 2012 Rule 5 Draft. Pressly had never pitched at the Triple-A level before making his big league debut with Minnesota in 2013, but he hit the ground running with a 3.87 ERA over 49 games and 76 2/3 frames, quickly establishing himself as a bullpen with plenty of innings.
Injuries and a few stints in the minors hampered Pressly’s time with the Twins, but his solid career saw him earn more senior opportunities. When Minnesota dealt Pressly to Houston at the 2018 trade deadline, the right-hander was serving as the Twins’ setup man, and he continued in that role in the Astros’ relief organization. Pressly was outstanding during the Astros’ season in 2018, and his impressive performance as a designated hitter in 2019 earned Pressly his first All-Star nod.
This led to another promotion to the closer’s career in 2020, beginning a four-year career that saw Pressly record 102 saves in 118 chances while recording a 2.99 ERA, 31.5% strikeout rate, and 6.2% walk rate. Despite this high-profile role in the regular playoffs, Pressly’s success has flown somewhat under the radar — perhaps because he hasn’t gotten any free agent headlines since the Astros (wisely) extended him.
He was forced to sign a two-year, $17.5MM contract before the 2019 season that became a three-year, $27.5MM deal after he showed up enough to trigger a third-year buyout option. In April 2022, Pressly signed another extension that ended up paying him $42MM over three years (2023-25) if he reached another sales limit. While Pressly may have put some money in the bank if he did test the open market, he was more than happy to play close to home (Sadly, he’s from Dallas and his wife is from Houston) and against a regular opponent.
The Astros’ regular run to the postseason allowed Pressly a chance to shine at the biggest stages in baseball, and he delivered with a 2.78 ERA over 45 1/3 career playoff innings, including a streak of 22 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. Presly’s run in Houston was highlighted by the team’s World Series title in 2022, and he threw the last inning of the Astros’ combined no-hitter in Game 4, and earned the save in both Game 5 and Game 6 of the clinching game.
Despite Pressly’s continued success as a closer, the Astros opted to double down on their depth in relief. Josh Hader during the 2023-24 offseason, which led to Pressly returning to the setup role. While he continued to pitch well, his $14MM price tag became too much for an Astros team trying to limit its luxury tax, and Pressly agreed to waive his no-trade protections to approve a deal with the Cubs last winter. Unfortunately for Pressly, he struggled in what turned out to be his final MLB season, and Chicago fired him in August.
It was a bit of a surprise that Pressly didn’t catch anywhere after being released, and the Twins and Astros were reportedly considering a reunion. Retirement was apparently an option for Pressly even in the summer, however, and after some time to weigh the decision, he decided to leave the game at the age of 37.
We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Pressly on an outstanding career, and wish him the best in his post-playing endeavors.
