The Chicago Cubs bullpen broke early and broke often in the first half of the 2024 season.
And, despite a second-half turnaround with some new role players brought into the mix, one of the team’s major weak spots headed into the offseason was still the bullpen.
The Cubs front office went hard this winter, adding depth to ensure that the pen this coming season would be a steady and consistent strong point to a team with firm postseason aspirations.
In the offseason, Chicago added bullpen assets Eli Morgan, Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Brasier, and, most notably, former Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly to the existing core set of relievers.
Ryan Pressley Plays A Pivotal Bullpen Role
The 36-year-old Pressly, who came via trade for minor league pitcher Juan Bello, will play an especially pivotal role for the team as their designated closer.
Last season, closer Adbert Alzolay and backup closer Hector Neris failed to deliver, forcing manager Craig Counsell to lean on rookie call-up Porter Hodge to be the team’s show-closer. And although Hodge did well in that capacity, posting an impressive 1.88 ERA with 9 saves in 39 games, it’s still not advisable to put a 23-year-old sophomore in such a key, high-pressure role for a legitimate playoff run.
That’s where Pressly comes in with his twelve years of big league experience. He’s actually coming in as one of four new additions with World Series experience.
Big Experience, Big Goals
And with that top level experience, the right-hander has big goals.
“I love to win,” Pressly recently told Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “We got goals here. Win a division, yeah, that’s one of the goals. But winning the World Series is our ultimate goal. And you can’t do that if you’re not competitive. When you push each other — and push each other hard — good things happen.”
With his victory-hungry attitude and depth of experience, Pressly also hopes to be a mentor for the younger players on the team, especially Hodge, who he’s described as “electric.”
“We just got to work on getting better every day,” Pressly said. “That’s what spring training is for. Hopefully, I can guide him down a good path and help him in any way I possibly can. I want to be somebody that all these guys can lean on. I’ve kind of been there and done it a handful of times. Any questions that they have, on or off the field, I just want to be that guy for them.”
Chicago Cubs Banking On A Pressly Comeback
Last season, the veteran reliever struggled at times in his new role with the Astros as setup man to new closer Josh Hader. He still managed to post a respectable 3.49 ERA in 59 games and 56.2 innings, but he never seemed quite comfortable playing a secondary role to the position he once held. That’s why he waved off the no trade clause in his contract when the possibility of a trade to the Cubs came up.
Pressly will get first dibs on being the Chicago Cubs’ closer. Headed into free agency in 2026, a return to shutdown closer prominence will not only be good for his psyche, but also for his financial bottom line. A good closer, of course, can command a much higher salary on the open market than a capable setup man.
The ultimate goal, though, is winning. Right now, that’s where Pressly’s focus is and, in a best case scenario, that’s what he’s helping others focus on for this season and beyond.
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