Astros right-hander is being extensively shopped on the trade market this winter, according to a report from . Thats not the first indication this winter that Pre sly could be available, as a report indicating that Houston had Isaiah Hartenstein Jersey at least internally discu sed dealing the veteran righty, but its nonethele s notable that the club has seeming begun shopping him to rival clubs on the trade market. At the outset of the offseason, GM Dana Brown was about the fact that his clubs budget for this winter was looking tight. While the club has emphasized its desire to remain in contention next year, Brown acknowledged the club might have to get creative in addre sing holes on the roster. That was a potentially ominous sign for a club that saw longtime third baseman elect free agency last month, leaving them with holes at both infield corners along with room to improve on the outfield gra s and in the starting rotation. notes that the club is already on the hook for a projected $215MM payroll in 2025, just $20MM below their Opening Day payroll in 2024 and just $29MM below their end-of-season payroll this past year. With such a tight budget, its easy to imagine 2024 being the end of Bregmans tenure in Houston. Thats not something the Astros have been willing to concede to this point, however, as theyve reportedly to Bregman since he reached free agency. The specifics of that offer arent entirely clear, but has suggested there may be a gap between the sides as the Astros hope to retain Bregman on a deal in the range of six years and $156MM while Bregman hopes to land a deal worth at least $200MM. The uncertainty surrounding Bregman has led the Astros to consider potential fallback options, including and , though its not hard to imagine Walker himself commanding an AAV that could land outside of the Astros comfort zone. Whether it be in service of a more robust pursuit of Bregman or to increase their flexibility in the event he signs elsewhere, it makes plenty of sense for the Astros to consider dealing Pre sly this winter. The 36-year-old hurler is due $14MM in the final year of his contract following a solid but unspectacular 2024 season where he pitched to a 3.49 ERA and 3.10 FIP in a late-inning role after being bumped from the closer role by the clubs deal for last winter. Pre slys results remained solid, but his peripheral numbers took a step back as his 23.8% strikeout rate was his worst since 2016 while his 7.4% walk rate was his worst in a 162-game season since 2018. While Pre sly is obviously still a quality reliever, hed be unlikely to receive a $14MM AAV on the open market ahead of his age-36 season this winter. That lack of clear trade value could make a trade difficult for the Astros to pull off, and any trade talks figure to be further complicated by the fact that Pre sly has full no-trade protection as a player with ten years of service time and five consecutive years with his current club. That means Pre sly would have to approve a trade in order to be moved, and theres no guarantee that the Dallas native who has previously signed multiple contract extensions with the Astros would be interested in leaving Houston. Those obstacles are significant, and it wouldnt be a surprise to see Pre sly remain in an Astros uniform next year because of them. They certainly dont nece sarily mean that a deal is impo sible, however. Its at least feasible that Pre sly could have interest in being traded to a club that would be willing to use him in the ninth-inning after he racked up 102 saves in 118 chances (86.4% conversion rate) acro s his four years in the role with Houston. The Cubs, Red Sox, and Phillies are all among teams that could be in the market for help in the ninth inning this winter, and Nightengale suggests that Philadelphia could have particular interest in Pre slys services. Nightengale goes on to speculate that a deal involving Pre sly and Phillies third baseman could make sense for both clubs if the Astros fail to land Bregman, though its worth noting that Bohm figures to have more value on the trade market than Pre sly so a straight one-for-one swap seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Chicago is in dealing and Houston has reportedly on Bellinger this winter. That makes a swap involving Bellinger and Pre sly at least a theoretical fit between the two sides, though its unclear if discu sions between the Cubs and Astros about Bellinger even involved other names much le s Pre sly in particular. Michael Porter Jersey