Houston Astros Officially Announce Who Their Closer Will Be This Season
After the Houston Astros signed Josh Hader to a massive deal this offseason, there were some questions about who their closer would be this year.
Since the Astros traded for Ryan Pressly in 2018, he's been one of the best closers in the game.
He's posted an ERA of 2.67 across 283 appearances with 107 saves.
Pressly has been even better in the postseason, and World Series, when the games matter more.
However, it seemed obvious once Houston handed Hader a $95 million deal that he would become their new closer. After all, that would be a very expensive setup man.
But, new manager Joe Espada was not ready to name who would fill that role in the immediate aftermath of the acquisition.
It continued to be radio silent on that front until the Astros showed up for Spring Training.
Now, they have an answer on who will be the closer.
According to ESPN.com, Espada has named Hader as the team's closer and will move Pressly into the setup role.
"It went well. Both guys want what's best for this team. I think the ultimate goal is to hold the trophy at the end of the year," he said when asked how that conversation went.
Before Houston went after Hader, general manager Dana Brown reached out to Pressly to see how he would feel about the addition.
Many wondered what bringing in the superstar closer might do to the clubhouse that has had so much success with Pressly being their ninth-inning man.
Hader is focused on building a relationship with the established reliever so any potential issues that might arise don't occur.
"A lot of things can get stirred up on the outside and paint a picture that's not it. But for him and I, we've had a great relationship so far and [we] continue to build off that," he said.
One thing is for certain, with this addition, the Astros will have one of the best backends of the bullpen in the game.
