MESA, Ariz. — Ryan Pressly isn’t turning into Nick Saban or Paul “Bear” Bryant anytime soon. 

He’s not laying the full-court press on his former teammate Alex Bregman and trying to convince the star third baseman to join him and Kyle Tucker in Chicago. 

“I don’t think it’s recruiting. It’s just more of like, ‘Hey how are you doing? What are you hearing?’ Stuff like that,” the new Cubs reliever said on Tuesday. “I don’t want to be like, ‘Come here, come here.’”

[New Cubs infielder Nicky Lopez is doing his best to help lure Alex Bregman to Chicago]

But he isn’t against the idea of trio of former Astros reuniting in Chicago. 

“I don’t know what’s happening over in that camp, but I would love to play with him again, for sure,” Pressly told Elise Menaker in an exclusive one-on-one interview. 

Internally amongst Cubs players, there’s been chatter around Bregman, even if it isn’t a full, send-the-house moment to try and convince Bregman to sign with the Cubs. 

“I don’t know about recruiting, but I know those guys speak very highly of him,” Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon said. “And I’ve definitely heard them communicate that out loud. [Bregman is] an incredible player.”

Bregman would fill a need for the team at third base. Yes, top prospect Matt Shaw is knocking on the major league door and could be a very strong contributor at that level. But young players have routinely struggled early in the big leagues. 

And, of course, Shaw isn’t a former AL MVP runner-up, 2-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner and World Series winner like Bregman. 

“Going over to Houston and playing with him for 7 years, was just one of those guys that walks through the clubhouse, and you just feel that aura around him where it’s, ‘We got a chance today,’” Pressly told Menaker. “When you have a chance every single day, good things are gonna happen and he definitely brings that and to have him in this clubhouse would be great.”

Regardless of Bregman, though, the Cubs won’t rule out other external additions at third base if Bregman goes elsewhere. On Monday, they were linked to veteran infielder Justin Turner and they have another seasoned infielder, Jon Berti, who they signed to a one-year deal in the offseason. 

[How Jon Berti fits into the Cubs’ first base mix in 2025]

“No, we’re not done,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I don’t think you ever consider yourself done building a roster. Whether big or small, I don’t think you should consider yourself done, especially on February 11. I would say still always looking at options out there, absolutely.”

But Bregman’s name definitely rings louder for fans and the team than others. 

“Whatever happens with Breggy, I’m going to support him,” Pressly said. “I just hope I can support him in the same clubhouse.”