Since $a$ is a positive integer, $45 a$ is a positive integer. Since $b$ is a positive integer, $45 a$ is less than 2021. The largest multiple of 45 less than 2021 is $45 \times 44=1980$. (Note that $45 \cdot 45=2025$ which is greater than 2021.) If $a=44$, then $b=2021-45 \cdot 44=41$. Here, $a+b=44+41=85$. If $a$ is decreased by 1, the value of $45 a+b$ is decreased by 45 and so $b$ must be increased by 45 to maintain the same value of $45 a+b$, which increases the value of $a+b$ by $-1+45=44$. Therefore, if $a<44$, the value of $a+b$ is always greater than 85. If $a>44$, then $45 a>2021$ which makes $b$ negative, which is not possible. Therefore, the minimum possible value of $a+b$ is 85.