CHICAGO -- Ryan Pressly stood on the edge of the mound in Houston, leaning slightly as he watched right fielder Kyle Tucker hustle into foul ground to make a catch. Tucker reeled it in and the celebration was on -- the Astros had beaten the Phillies and clinched a World Series title.

Three years after that finish to the 2022 season, the Cubs are hoping they can create their own variation of that ending in Chicago. After Pressly agreed to waive his no-trade clause on Sunday, the Cubs and Astros finalized a trade Tuesday to bring the veteran reliever to the North Siders.

The Cubs announced that they landed Pressly from the Astros in exchange for Minor League reliever Juan Bello. Chicago will be responsible for $8.5 million of Pressly¡¯s $14 million salary for the upcoming season, a source told MLB.com. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Cubs designated righty Matt Festa for assignment.

TRADE DETAILS
Cubs receive: RHP Ryan Pressly, cash
Astros receive: Minor League RHP Juan Bello

This marks the second significant trade involving the two ballclubs this offseason, following the blockbuster deal in December that sent Tucker to the Cubs. That trade gave Chicago a legitimate star in the heart of the lineup. The move to land Pressly adds some much-needed experience to the bullpen, and gives the righty a chance to step back into a closer¡¯s role.

Prior to landing Pressly, the Cubs were in the bidding for free-agent lefty Tanner Scott, who ultimately found a four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers. Under president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, the Cubs have tended to avoid long deals for relievers. The pursuit of Scott showed a willingness to make an exception, given the need for a tested arm for late innings.

Pressly, 36, was Houston¡¯s closer across the 2020-23 campaigns, but shifted back into a setup role last year after the Astros signed ace reliever Josh Hader to a multiyear deal. Pressly had only four saves in ¡®24, ending with a 3.49 ERA and 58 strikeouts against 18 walks in 56 2/3 innings (59 games) for a Houston team that won its seventh division crown in an eight-year span.

Not only does Pressly have that clinching of the 2022 World Series on his resume, the reliever boasts a 2.78 ERA with 14 saves in his 47 career postseason games. Pressly has racked up 60 strikeouts and issued 15 walks in his 45 1/3 innings on the October stage. That is precisely the kind of late-inning experience the Cubs were lacking heading into ¡®25.

Six of the eight relievers who made the Cubs¡¯ Opening Day roster last year are no longer in the organization. The first few months of last season featured a mix of injuries and poor performances that forced the Cubs¡¯ front office to search for in-season solutions. By the end of last season, rookie Porter Hodge was the de facto closer, picking up nine saves in an impressive debut.

Hodge was a mid-season callup from the farm system and exceeded expectations. The Cubs also reeled in Nate Pearson and Tyson Miller as part of the bullpen makeover last year. That process has continued this winter with additions such as Colin Rea, Eli Morgan and Caleb Thielbar, among others.

The leader in saves on the Cubs¡¯ current 40-man roster was Hodge, with the nine he notched last season. Pressly arrives with 112 saves in his Major League career, which has spanned parts of 12 seasons spent between the Twins and Astros. He saved 30-plus games in each of the ¡®22-23 tours and has worked at least 50 games in eight of the last nine years (the shortened ¡®20 season being the exception).

In 623 career appearances, Pressly has turned in a 3.27 ERA with 693 strikeouts and 190 walks in 650 innings. While his average fastball velocity dropped to 93.8 mph last year -- down from 94.7 mph in ¡®23, 94.5 mph in ¡®22 and 95.4 mph in ¡®21 -- Pressly still showed elite breaking pitches. His curveball, in particular, had an elite spin rate of 3,258 RPM in ¡®24.

The 20-year-old Bello reached Single-A Myrtle Beach last year in his third pro season in the Cubs' system. The righty had a 3.21 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 28 walks in 89 2/3 innings in 22 starts. The native of Colombia is not currently ranked among the Cubs' Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline.

Acquiring Pressly offers a solution for the Opening Day closer¡¯s duties, but expect the Cubs to continue to look for ways to enhance the bullpen depth for manager Craig Counsell. It was a lack of depth at the front end of last season that contributed to the team¡¯s lull through May and June, leading to a second straight 83-win season with no playoff berth.