Ryan Pressly deemed it “probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made” to waive his no-trade rights and accept a trade from the Houston Astros, where the right-hander spent seven seasons as a bullpen anchor amid the franchise’s golden era,

After seven years with the Houston Astros, pitcher Ryan Pressly will be starting a new chapter in his MLB career. Pressly decided to waive his no-trade clause, paving the way for the Astros to send him to the National League for pitcher Juan Bello.

The Astros-Ryan Pressly divorce may have been in the works since last winter. Houston general manager Dana Brown admitted Tuesday that his relationship with the closer “took a slightly different turn” when the franchise signed Josh Hader to a five-year, $95 million contract a year ago, pushing Pressly into a setup man role.