By james art 
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs are finalizing the Ryan Pressley trade, adding the right fielder to the back end of their bullpen in their second major offseason trade with the Houston Astros.
Pressley has agreed to waive his no-trade clause, according to a person familiar with the situation, and an agreement is in place between the teams, pending a review of medical records. The person spoke to the AP on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.
Pressley had the right to block the deal because of his 12 years in the majors and more than six seasons with the Astros. He had a 3.49 ERA in 59 appearances last year while under Josh Hader.
The Cubs also acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a multi-player trade with the Astros in December.
Chicago has been looking for bullpen help since going 83-79 and finishing second in the NL Central in 2024. for the second season in a row. He was reportedly in the mix for Tanner Scott before he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Porter Hodge had a 1.88 ERA and nine saves during an impressive rookie year with Chicago, but will likely step into a setup role with Pressley’s arrival.
Pressley is slated to make $14 million in the final year of his contract, and Houston could use the money it saved from the trade to improve its outfield. It could also make a renewed push to reunite with free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
Hader replaced Pressley as Houston’s closer after agreeing to a five-year, $95 million deal last January. He had a 3.80 ERA and 34 saves in 71 games as the Astros won the AL West for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
With Pressley gone, Brian Abreu and Taylor Scott could take a more prominent role ahead of Hader in Houston’s bullpen.
Pressley, a 36-year-old Dallas native, made his major league debut with Minnesota in 2013. and spent his first five-plus seasons with the Twins. He was traded to Houston in July 2018.
Pressley rose to prominence with the Astros, becoming one of the best players in baseball. The two-time All-Star had a 40-game hitting streak since August 15, 2018. until May 23, 2019
He was a key player when Houston won the franchise’s second World Series title in 2022. He had a career-high 33 saves with a 2.98 ERA during the regular season and then went on a dominant run in the playoffs. He saved six postseason games, recording 13 while allowing an unearned run and four hits in 11 innings over 10 appearances.
Pressly is 35-36 with a 3.27 ERA and 112 saves in 623 major league games. He also has 693 strikeouts and 190 walks in 650 innings.
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