The Mariners are out on Marlon Byrd

By Craig CalcaterraJul 30, 2014, 4:30 PM EDT
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One of the longest-simmering rumors of the summer has been Marlon Byrd to the Mariners. Not hottest-simmering, mind you. It’s just Marlon Byrd. But ever since people started getting excited about the Mariners contending and getting excited about the Phillies stinking again, people have assumed that a Byrd-to-Seattle deal was gonna go down.

Nope:

There aren’t many exciting bats on the market. And that’s true even if you stretch your definition of “exciting” to include Byrd. Maybe Alex Rios. Maybe Josh Willingham. But as of now, it looks like the Marlins don’t have a lot going on to upgrade the offense.

Report: Astros, Ryan Pressly close to agreement on two-year, $17.5 million extension

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By Bill BaerMar 19, 2019, 9:04 PM EDT
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Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros and reliever Ryan Pressly are close to finalizing a two-year, $17.5 million contract extension, which will also include a third-year vesting club option. Rome notes that the extension is believed to be the largest, in terms of both total money and average annual value, for a reliever who is not a closer.

Pressly, 30, agreed to a $2.9 million salary for the 2019 season back in January, avoiding arbitration in his final year of eligibility. The Astros acquired Pressly from the Twins near the end of July in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers. Pressly posted a 3.40 ERA in 47 2/3 innings with the Twins and a 0.77 ERA in 23 1/3 innings with the Astros. In the playoffs, Pressly allowed just one run on one hit and three walks with seven strikeouts across five innings of work.

Along with Héctor Rondón, Pressly will once again help bridge the gap to closer Roberto Osuna.