Cubs DFA Ryan Pressly to Accommodate New Trade Acquisitions

In a move that seemed pretty obvious once the Cubs traded for Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers, the Cubs have designated former closer Ryan Pressly for assignment. Picked up from the Astros in the offseason, Pressly was given a new no-trade clause after the Cubs convinced him to waive his original one to facilitate the deal. That came with an understanding that he’d serve as the closer, though he lost that role pretty quickly and didn’t earn a save between April 13 and June 12.

A bum knee contributed to some of his early issues, which were often more about the eye test than the box score. Prior to a recent slump, Pressly had a 3.22 ERA with only two blown saves. He hasn’t added to that latter figure, but allowing runs in four of his last five appearances inflated his ERA to 4.35 in a hurry. The biggest issue is was that he simply couldn’t put hitters away.

Pressly’s chase, whiff, and strikeout rates are all in the sixth percentile or lower, and he was likewise among the worst in MLB at giving up hard contact. That’s just not acceptable from a high-leverage reliever. Or an any-leverage reliever, for that matter. It sucks because Pressly seems like a super good dude who just wanted to make the most of a new opportunity, but this is a business at the end of the day.