‘I just want to win’: What Ryan Pressly was told about his role with Cubs
Ryan Pressly’s pedigree and inclusion into the Cubs’ bullpen means he’ll be in the 9th-inning mix.
“They said I would close some games,” the former All-Star closer said on Wednesday.
But it doesn’t mean he’s the out-and-out “closer”.
“I’m going to go into camp, competing for that 9th inning role,” Pressly added. “And whatever happens is going to happen.”
[Ryan Pressly makes his pitch for Alex Bregman to join Cubs]
Pressly figures to have the inside track to be the Cubs’ closer on Opening Day. He’s arguably the biggest name addition they’ve made to their reliever corps since signing Craig Kimbrel in 2019.
He has the pedigree to fill that role, too. The 36-year-old has racked up 112 career saves and had a career-high 33 in 2022 when he was Houston’s closer en route to a World Series title. During that playoff run, he didn’t allow an earned run in 10 appearances, picking up 6 saves with a 0.64 WHIP.
But last season, the Astros added Josh Hader on a 5-year contract during free agency, relegating Pressly to setup duties.
“You get demoted, and then you got to go out there and be professional and try to lead the right way,” Pressly said. “I think that the best way I could do that and show my teammates how I can carry myself even when stuff’s not going to go your way is a big way that you can kind of pass that on along down to the younger guys.
“And look, sometimes it’s not going to go the way you want it to, but you just got to keep your head up and just kind of do what you know how to do, and everything else will fall into place.”
But he always wanted to get back into that role.
“You want to be in the back end of the ‘pen,” Pressly said. “You want to close. It’s a different kind of adrenaline. I’m not saying that you don’t get it in the 8th inning, but to get those last three outs is pretty special, and to have a team call on you to get those last three outs, it’s an honor.”
The Cubs are offering him a pathway to do that. Porter Hodge ended the year as the Cubs closer after a breakout rookie campaign and could be in the mix to close, too. But if Pressly looks strong in spring, it’ll be hard to not go with his experience in that role. It’s why he was OK waving the no-trade clause that he had earned after achieving 10-and-5 rights — 10 years of major league service time and five with one team (Houston).
[Why new Cubs reliever Ryan Pressly decided to waive no-trade clause for Chicago]
“I still feel like I can close, and I want to still prove that I can close and an opportunity came up to where I could have that chance again,” Pressly said. “So I figured I could go capitalize on that opportunity and see what, see what happens.”
And if he does struggle, he’ll be OK with ceding the closing responsibilities if it means he can contribute to victories.
“I just want to go do my job and be able to bring a win to the team and just help everybody be successful,” Pressly said. “I just want to help. I just want to win, honestly. And however, which way I could do that, whether it be in the 9th inning role or the 8th inning role, it doesn’t matter to me.
“I just want to win.”