Cubs, Motte agree to 1-year, $4.5-million deal

Just hours after formally introducing left-hander Jon Lester as the newest member of the Chicago Cubs, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein added another pitcher to his team's roster.

The Cubs agreed Monday to a one-year, $4.5-million deal with veteran reliever Jason Motte, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Motte logged 29 games with the St. Louis Cardinals last season after spending the entire 2013 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will have to complete a physical before the deal can be finalized.

Motte struggled in 2014 to replicate the success he enjoyed before his elbow surgery, as he stumbled to a 4.68 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP over 25 innings amid a marked decline in his strikeout rate. The 32-year-old, however, is poised to join a bullpen that failed to distinguish itself last season, managing a 3.61 ERA that ranked eighth among National League clubs.