Ryan Pressly Accepts Trade to Cubs, Paul Sewald Signs With Guardians

Because the reliever market picked up during the last week, two right-handers, each former closers, discovered new properties within the Central divisions. First, final Wednesday, Paul Sewald agreed to a one-year take care of the Cleveland Guardians. Then, on Sunday, Ryan Pressly waived his no-trade clause to ensure that the Houston Astros to ship him to the Chicago Cubs for the ultimate assured 12 months of his contract.

Whereas each of those pitchers are possible previous their peaks when it comes to stuff, they’ll look to proceed being contributors with their new golf equipment. Let’s study the potential affect of those strikes and talk about how the 2 pitchers will match into the bullpens of their new groups.

Sewald Joins Elite Cleveland Bullpen

Coming off a down 12 months relative to his earlier three seasons, Sewald’s take care of the Guardians is for one 12 months and $6 million, with a $10 million mutual choice for 2026. The transfer solidifies the center a part of their bullpen, which already was probably the greatest within the majors. With Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, and Hunter Gaddis anchoring the group, Sewald will occupy a lesser position than he’s held over the previous couple of years. That’s not a nasty factor for him, as he can work to return to type with out the stress of getting to ship in high-leverage innings.

As velocities have elevated through the years, and hitters have tailored to them, the margins for error for pitchers dwelling within the low-90s band have grown thinner and thinner. What we noticed from Sewald final season is an efficient instance of what occurs when pitchers with such a profile lose even only one tick on their fastballs.

From 2021-23, a three-year stretch throughout which Sewald was one of many higher relievers in baseball, his four-seamer ranged from 92.2 mph to 92.5 mph. It was extraordinarily constant on that entrance. Then, in 2024, that quantity dropped right down to 91.4 mph on common, and with that, his efficiency additionally dropped. Here’s a fast abstract of how Sewald’s efficiency on his heater regressed final season:

As his fastball velocity fell final 12 months, Sewald noticed a pointy lower in its effectiveness by each whiffs and total efficiency. This may very well be associated to the pitch’s location and its launch angle; during the last 4 seasons, he’s been throwing his fastball progressively larger and better within the zone and releasing it nearer to the center of the pitcher’s mound. Mix that with a dip in velocity and, abruptly, the pitch was simply extra regular than it had been previously.

One other drawback for Sewald final 12 months was his sweeper, the pitch that was most answerable for turning him right into a high-leverage reliever upon becoming a member of the Mariners in 2021. His total numbers with it recommend it was nonetheless a weapon — he held opponents to a .196 common (.214 xBA) and a .214 wOBA (.258 xwOBA) in opposition to it — however a better look tells a distinct story.

Throughout his aforementioned three-year stretch of excellence, he was comfy throwing his sweeper to each lefties and righties as a technique to preserve them off his fastball. In every of these three seasons, he threw his sweeper at the least 45% of the time in opposition to righties and at the least 35% of the time when dealing with lefties, and it was efficient in opposition to each side. That’s particularly vital as a result of Sewald is usually a two-pitch pitcher. Final 12 months, nevertheless, lefties teed off on his sweeper. Test this out:

So what modified? Maybe a few of it may be attributed to his diminished fastball velocity, which has reduce the speed hole between his fastball and sweeper to eight.3 mph, down from 9.7 in 2022. Besides, the velo distinction between the 2 pitches was additionally 8.3 mph in 2023, and that season each pitches have been nonetheless efficient in opposition to lefties and righties. The larger situation right here appears to be the identical factor that threw off his fastball: his launch level, which additionally shifted extra towards the center of the mound when throwing his sweeper. Because of this, he struggled to command his sweeper in 2024, as you may see in these two warmth maps. The primary one is from 2023, the second from 2024.

He began throwing the pitch extra within the center plate and fewer typically out of the zone. Even with lesser command, he may nonetheless preserve righties at bay together with his sweeper as a result of the pitch breaks away from them. In opposition to lefties, although, he has much less margin for error together with his location. Sweepers that stay within the zone in opposition to lefties break properly into their bat paths. That’s not a recipe for fulfillment.

It’s price noting that a few of Sewald’s struggles in 2024 may very well be injury-related, as he handled each neck and indirect accidents that might’ve prompted his dip in velocity. These illnesses may also clarify his change in location and horizontal launch level, because the neck and indirect muscular tissues are particularly vital for a pitcher’s upper-body mechanics. Sewald turns 35 in late Might, so a few of his diminished stuff may very well be attributed to getting old, but when he’s wholesome, we should always count on him to have some kind of rebound — even when he doesn’t get again to the height efficiency from his days with the Mariners.

Pressly Takes Over as Cubs Nearer

For many of the offseason, the Astros have been making an attempt to commerce Pressly to shed some wage, and as they revived their efforts to re-sign Alex Bregman final week, shifting Pressly appeared to turn out to be an excellent larger precedence. In fact, Houston has not but introduced again Bregman, however both manner, buying and selling Pressly gave the Astros extra monetary flexibility.

Houston despatched over $5.5 million to cowl Pressly’s wage this season, however nothing if his contract vests for 2026. The Cubs despatched again Juan Bello, a 20-year-old pitching prospect who was not too long ago ranked no. 31 on the Cubs’ prospect checklist. Bello is a 35+ FV beginning pitcher who, in keeping with our prospect writers Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice, “has sufficient projectability and present stuff to be forecast in a depth starter position, however he’ll have to harness his secondaries within the zone extra typically to persistently get extra superior hitters out and switch over a lineup.”

The 36-year-old Pressly had been a helpful member of the bullpen because the Astros traded for him in late July 2018, and through the identical three-year stretch wherein Sewald shined, Pressly emerged as one of many high closers within the American League. Nevertheless, Houston’s signing of Josh Hader earlier than final season relegated Pressly to a setup position and finally made him expendable this offseason. Astros GM Dana Brown stated earlier right now that the Hader signing and Pressly’s corresponding demotion within the bullpen pecking order prompted a “fracture” in his and Pressly’s relationship. Now with the Cubs, Pressly is predicted to return to closing video games.

Much like Sewald, Pressly is coming off a season with a notable lower in velocity, from 94.7 mph in 2023 to 93.8 mph final 12 months. His diminishing fastball didn’t precisely come as a surpsise, although. In 2022, batters posted a .402 xwOBA in opposition to his four-seamer, and in response, he reduce its utilization from 32.9% that 12 months right down to 23.1% in 2023. He leaned extra on his slider, which for years has been his finest pitch by run worth by a large margin. It’s odd, then, that he used his four-seamer extra typically than every other pitch in 2024. This pitch combine shift didn’t repay, as opponents slugged .500 in opposition to his heater with a .371 wOBA and a .365 xwOBA, in comparison with their .333 SLG, .276 wOBA, and .271 xwOBA in opposition to his slider. I think about Chicago will get him again to throwing primarily sliders once more subsequent season. For some extra context, here’s a three-year snapshot of Pressly’s Stuff+ and utilization for his three principal pitches:

Relievers who swap groups in search of bounce backs are all the time enjoyable tales to comply with. Each Sewald and Pressly are within the later levels of their careers however have a chance to be vital contributors on contending golf equipment. I’ll be being attentive to any potential changes they make come spring time.