Does the Acquisition of Ryan Pressly Make the Cubs Division Favorites?

The Chicago Cubs made a big splash over the weekend by acquiring two-time all-star closer Ryan Pressly from the Houston Astros. This is the second blockbuster trade the Cubs have pulled off this winter with the Astros, as the two teams agreed on a trade back in December that sent star outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago. These big-time moves have to be a relief to many Cubs fans after a disappointing 2024 season for the Cubs, where they fell short of their playoff expectations under new manager Craig Counsell. It is clear that General Manager Jed Hoyer and President of Baseball Operations Carter Hawkins are determined to get back to playing October baseball in 2025, but does this latest move make the Cubs favorites to win the National League Central, or do they still have more to address before Spring Training?

This offseason has undoubtedly felt like a win for the Cubs to this point. Kyle Tucker will make Chicago’s outfield one of the best all-around units in baseball in 2025, and the recent acquisition of Pressly addresses the Cubs’ biggest flaw last season, which was the closer position. The Cubs basically operated in a closer-by-committee manner for the majority of last season. Adbert Alzolay started the season as the primary ninth-inning guy, but he struggled early on and then eventually suffered a season-ending injury. Then, free agent signing Héctor Neris was given the chance to close games, and he did not perform well either. After Neris was removed from the role, Counsell was left with no choice but to ride with a committee at the closer position, which is never an ideal thing for a team with winning aspirations. Now, with Pressly, there is no question about who will be coming in to close out tight games, which is a major relief for Counsell and the Cubs. Having Pressly should also take some pressure off the starting pitchers, who were often forced to be nearly perfect in their starts. Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad were all very good, if not great, in their roles, but their starts were oftentimes spoiled by either the bullpen or by a lack of run support from the offense. Pressly will, without a doubt, help capitalize on quality starts put together by the starting pitching group. 

Pressly obviously brings high-quality talent, but he also comes with experience in high-leverage situations in the postseason. Pressly posted three consecutive seasons with more than 25 saves from 2021-2023, where he made an all-star appearance and won a World Series in that span. Speaking of the World Series, Pressly has a lot of experience pitching in the Fall Classic. He appeared in three World Series with the Astros, where he posted an average ERA of 1.12 over those three seasons while constantly appearing in clutch situations. Pressly has accumulated 14 saves in his playoff career while only allowing 14 earned runs and 34 hits in 45.1 total innings pitched in postseason play. This abundance of experience from the 36-year-old will undoubtedly help a very young and inexperienced Cubs bullpen down the stretch if they happen to find themselves fighting for a playoff spot late in the season.

The other factor to consider here when trying to say if this move makes the Cubs favorites within the division is the strength of the opposing teams. The defending division champion, Milwaukee Brewers, have had an interesting offseason as their big move this winter was trading their closer Devin Williams to the Yankees. They also lost their shortstop, Willy Adames, to the Giants in free agency. While these losses may sting the Brewers and their fans, they still have a robust roster loaded with young talent and potential. The most notable name is outfielder Jackson Chourio, who had a sensational rookie season in 2024 and is one of the best-rising stars in baseball. The Brewers will most likely be Chiacgo’s biggest competition for the division title in 2025. That is not to say that the Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals do not present obstacles for Milwaukee and Chicago. The Reds are a young and talented team that just needs a few more years to develop, and they need to add some quality pitching depth as well. The Pirates have a very promising future led by the talented arms of Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones. However, their lineup on offense is suspect, as they still need to see development from some of their young players in that aspect. The Cardinals are a bit of a wild card in this division because they have had two of the worst years of Cardinals baseball in recent memory. For a team that is usually always in contention for the playoffs, the last two years have seemed like a bit of an outlier in St. Louis. However, the Cardinals are the only team in the MLB not to make a single trade or free agent signing this winter. They also have lots of young talent, with players like Masyn Winn at shortstop and Lars Nootbar in the outfield. The issue in St. Louis is the uncertainty at the corner infield spots now that Paul Goldschmidt is gone, and they have also shown interest in moving on from Nolan Arenado. There are also questions about their starting rotation and bullpen. With all that said, the Cardinals are not a team that stays down for a long time, and it would not surprise anybody if they are in the thick of the playoff race in September. 

Baseball is the sport of uncertainty and variance, with so many ups and downs throughout the 162-game season. However, it is clear that within this division, the Cubs have answered the most questions about their roster, and they have undoubtedly improved their team more than the other four clubs. It is reasonable to call the Cubs favorites to win the NL Central, which they have not done since 2020, and return to the playoffs, but then again, anything can happen in baseball. There is also over a month left in the offseason, and there have been plenty of trades and free agent signings late into February over the past few years, so it is also a possibility that these teams are not going to look the same come Opening Day.