The Houston Astros appear to be inching toward a reunion with longtime third baseman Alex Bregman.
On Sunday, the Astros traded All-Star reliever Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs. Houston will cover a good chunk of Pressly’s $14 million salary as part of the deal.
The move is reportedly a precursor toward the Astros’ bigger goal of re-signing Bregman. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Houston reached out to Bregman’s agent Scott Boras earlier this week and confirmed that the star infielder “still had strong interest” in returning.
The Astros wanted to clear Pressly’s salary by trading him in order to have the money to meet Bregman’s contract demands.
The move involved more than simply finding a suitor for Pressly, a career 3.27 ERA reliever with tons of playoff experience. Pressly had to agree to waive his no-trade clause, which he was reportedly “reluctant” to do. Pressly only accepted the move to Chicago when informed that he would be the Cubs’ full-time closer, per Nightengale.
With the Astros paying the bulk of Pressly’s contract in exchange for a low-level Cubs prospect, all signs point to Houston making the trade with Bregman in mind.
Jose Altuve’s prediction about Bregman in September is looking pretty good right now.
