Houston Astros sign closer Pressly to two-year deal

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This article was published 07/04/2022 (1637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HOUSTON (AP) — All-Star closer Ryan Pressly has signed a $30 million, two-year contract to stay with the Houston Astros.

The deal covers the 2023-24 seasons and has a vesting option for 2025.

“He’s proven to be one of the best relievers in baseball,” general manager James Click said. “And beyond that, he’s somebody that has a tremendously positive influence in our bullpen in terms of mentoring the younger players and showing them how to be a professional and how to get outs on the biggest stage in the biggest moments.”

Pressly, who was named to his second All-Star Game last season, had a career-best 2.25 ERA in 64 appearances and had a career-high 26 saves in 28 opportunities. In the postseason, Pressly had a 0.93 ERA with 14 strikeouts in six games.

The 33-year-old Pressly joined the Astros in July 2018 in a trade with the Twins. Since then, he’s had a 2.21 ERA in 168 appearances with 43 saves and 214 strikeouts. His ERA while with the Astros is the second-best in the majors in that stretch behind Liam Hendriks at 2.04.

“Having him solidify the back of our bullpen for years to come is something that we obviously thought very highly of, and we’re looking forward to having him out there for the next few years,” Click said.

Pressly also holds an MLB record after going 40 straight games without allowing a run. That streak came from Aug. 15, 2018 to May 23, 2019.

He spent his first 5 1/2 seasons with the Twins where he had a 3.75 ERA in 317 innings pitched with 282 strikeouts.

Pressly made his first All-Star team in 2019 when he had a 2.32 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 55 games.

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