Cubs Predicted to Cut Ties With Ryan Pressly originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Chicago Cubs landed Ryan Pressly during the offseason in a smart trade. The hope was for the long-time Houston Astros closer to continue doing what he had done for Houston throughout much of his career.
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Playing with the Minnesota Twins and Astros prior to joining the Cubs in 2025, Pressly was typically one of the better relievers in baseball.
In Chicago, that hasn’t been the case, posting a 4.71 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.
In his recent outings, he’s been much better, allowing zero earned runs over his last nine appearances, but other outings have been very questionable, to say the least.
The 36-year-old isn’t playing the type of baseball that the team was hoping for, and some believe that could cause them to make a move.
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) observes batting practice before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
That includes Paul Magno of Chi City Sports, who predicted that the Cubs would cut ties with the veteran.
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“It’s hard to see a scenario where the veteran keeps his role as superfluous and often shaky one-inning reliever in an ever-improving bullpen on a team with deep playoff aspirations. By the trade deadline, at the very latest, the Cubs will have likely moved on from Pressly. That decision, though, could come even sooner,” he wrote.
Bullpen help is always needed, and Pressly gives them exactly that.
However, if the Cubs’ plan is to add at the deadline, that should come in the bullpen.
If that’s the case, there could be a scenario where Pressly doesn’t have much of a place to pitch.
Moving on from him makes sense, but the Cubs should explore the trade market first. There should be another team around the league interested in giving him a chance, even if it means the Cubs have to attach something to his contract.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.