The Houston Astros have reached a tentative agreement to trade reliever Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday after Pressly officially waived his no-trade clause, clearing the way for free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman to return to the Astros.
The Astros needed to clear payroll by trading Pressly, two high-ranking executives told USA TODAY Sports, if they were going to bring Bregman back.
Pressly is scheduled to earn $14 million in 2025 in the final year of his contract, and the Cubs will pay $8.5 million of the contract and send only a Class A pitcher Juan Bello to Houston, with the savings used to sign back Bregman.
The Astros offered Bregman a six-year, $156 million contract in October trying to keep him, but he instead chose to hit the free-agent market, trying to see if a team was willing to meet his $200 million price tag. The Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers all made offers, with at least two teams proposing deals of at least five years, but no one was willing to give him $200 million.
The Astros, according to the two executives, reached out to Scott Boras, Bregman’s agent, on Wednesday to determine if Bregman still had interest in returning. Bregman informed the Astros he still had strong interest in coming back, but needed a resolution quickly since he already had teams willing to give him multi-year deals.
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The Astros opened serious talks with the Cubs on Thursday and were on the verge of reaching a tentative deal, two high-ranking executives told USA TODAY Sports, and then finalized an agreement on Friday that was contingent on Pressly waiving his no-trade clause.
Pressly, who lives in the Dallas area with his young family was reluctant to waive it, but finally agreed when informed that he would be the Cubs’ full-time closer and only a late-inning reliever for the Astros. Pressly will receive an assignment bonus to cover the difference in taxes, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said, and will retain his no-trade clause.
The intriguing aspect of Bregman’s likely return, after spending his first nine years with the organization, is that All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve will now move to left field, two officials said, with Isaac Paredes moving from third base to second base, where he has played 53 games. Bregman is a two-time All-Star who won the Gold Glove last season.
“I love watching Bregman play third base, so I can’t imagine putting Bregman or having [manager] Joe [Espada] put Bregman in any other position other than third base,’’ Astros GM Dana Brown said Saturday at the Astros Fanfest. “That’s his home. He puts on clinics when he’s playing third base, and he’s just as special as anybody, Gold Glove there and so I can’t picture him playing anywhere else.”
The potential return of Bregman appeared highly unlikely a month ago when the Astros, who grew tired of waiting for Bregman’s decision, traded for Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes and signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract extension. The Astros assumed he’d sign a free-agent contract with another team, but on Wednesday, decided to re-ignite negotiations.
Altuve, who also assumed that Bregman was gone, informed the Astros that he’d be willing to leave second base after 14 years and move to left field only if it meant brining back Bregman.
“For Alex, I’ll do whatever,” Altuve, 34, said Saturday. “He’s one of the best players in the whole league and he’s definitely one of the best players on the team. We want him to stay so whatever I have to do for him to stay, I’m willing to do it.”
Espada, knowing that Altuve has played all but six innings of his career at second base, says he has no doubt that Altuve can handle the position switch.
“Yes, because he’s so athletic and he can do some things on the baseball field that not a lot of people can do,” Espada said Saturday. “If we get there, we’ll have that conversation with him, but his willingness to do whatever it takes to win, it’s important to us. He’s a cornerstone of this team, he’s the heart of this organization, so he understands that.’’
Altuve also understands that if the Astros are going to keep their streak of eight consecutive postseason appearances intact, which included four pennants and two World Series titles, they need Bregman back.
“I’d be willing to do everything if he stays,’’ Altuve said, “I want to win. He’s a guy who’s going to make this team better. We have a better chance to win a championship with him. …
“It’s not up to me, but if it was up to me, I’d pay him whatever and bring him back. I just want him to be back.’’
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