Josh Hader and his family appear to be settling nicely in Houston and Houston Astros teammate Ryan Pressly has been a great reason as to why. While Hader's arrival could have signaled some friction, as he will take Pressly's role as closer, the latter has taken the move with grace and professionalism, putting the team before himself.
In furtherance, Hader's wife, Maria, shared a snap on her Instagram Stories of her enjoying National Margarita Day with Pressly's wife, Kat, who had captioned the photo:
"CHEERS!! Celebrating National Margarita Day"
While players move around and are traded often in the dynamic world of the MLB, a fresh start represents challenges as much as it does opportunity. With that in mind, it is even more wholesome to see Kat and Maria enjoying a cocktail on National Margarita Day, which was Thursday, Feb. 22.
Ryan Pressly putting the team first, will be ready when called upon for Astros
Welcoming your replacement is an awkward task for everyone involved. However, Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader are all-in for the Astros in 2024 and both have discussed the matter with reporters.
Pressly told the media after Hader's signing:
"Yeah, it was a surprise, but he makes our team better. He's hands-down one of the best relievers in the game. I'm happy he's here and happy to share the bullpen with him. It's going to be a fun time. He seems like a great teammate.''
He more recently discussed the Astros bullpen with reporters:
“I think we’ve got a great bullpen, probably one of the best bullpens in the league. I get paid to go get three outs. It don’t matter if it’s in the fourth inning or the ninth inning. Whenever the phone rings and they tell me to get in there, I’ll get in there.”
As for Hader, he recognized that the team comes first and winning is the priority:
“We signed here to win baseball games, to win a championship. I think like Dana said, Ryan’s in the same boat, and we’re all in the same boat to do whatever we can and win ballgames and take it to the final step."
It will be interesting to see how Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader get on in Spring Training, as they will be looking to hit the ground running on Opening Day.