I recently wrote that Minnesota should consider bringing back righty reliever Ryan Pressly. The Twins did bring him back, but not as a player.
Former Twins, Astros and Cubs reliever Ryan Pressly announces retirement after 13-year MLB career, set to join Twins' staff
On Sunday, Pressly announced his retirement after a 13-year MLB career, per The Athletic’s (subscription required) Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal. The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that Pressly will work for the Twins. It has yet to be announced what role Pressly will serve for Minnesota.
The Twins selected Pressly in the 2012 Rule 5 Draft from the Boston Red Sox, who selected Pressly in the 11th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He pitched for Minnesota from 2013-18, posting a 3.75 ERA in 317 innings before being dealt to the Houston Astros at the 2018 trade deadline.
Pressly became a closer for Houston, collecting 111 saves with a 2.81 ERA in 333 innings from 2018-24. He signed a two-year, $17.5 million deal with Houston in the 2018-19 offseason that became a three-year, $27.5 million contract since he reached enough outings to trigger an option for the third season. He signed another extension with the Astros in April 2022 that allowed him to make $42 million from 2023-25.
The righty won a World Series ring in 2022 and recorded 14 saves with a 2.78 ERA in 47 playoff appearances with the Astros. He represented Houston in the All-Star Game in 2019 and 2021. He also represented the United States in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping his country reach the tournament's championship game.
The Astros traded Pressly, now 37, to the Chicago Cubs last offseason. He struggled with Chicago, posting a 4.35 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 17 walks in 41 1/3 innings before being designated for assignment to clear space for another former Twin, lefty Taylor Rogers, who is currently a free agent. According to The Athletic's Dan Hayes, the Twins expressed interest in Pressly in early August after the Cubs designated him for assignment.
Pressly likely could've kept playing if he'd wanted to. But since he's getting older and would likely have had to settle for a cheap deal with a team that would release him if his struggles from last season continued, retiring made sense for him. Now that he works for the Twins, he won't have to worry about being designated for assignment or released.
Congrats on a great career, Pressly!