The Cincinnati Reds have made a move on the pitching front on Tuesday, with MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reporting that the National League Central team is adding left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson.
“Free-agent left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson in agreement with Reds, pending physical, source tells @TheAthletic,” Rosenthal shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
Ferguson has played for several teams in his career in the big leagues, and most recently suited up for the Seattle Mariners in the 2025 MLB season.
Ferguson's addition addresses a Reds need for a southpaw asset to their bullpen. Prior to their agreement with Ferguson, the Reds only had Sam Moll as the only lefty pitcher in their cast of relievers.
Ferguson made his big league debut in the 2018 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he played until the 2023 campaign. In 2024, he was traded by the Dodgers to the New York Yankees for reliever Matt Gage and pitcher Christian Zazueta.
Then, before the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the Yankees sent him to the Houston Astros in exchange for pitcher Kelly Austin and cash. In the succeeding offseason, Ferguson found himself on another team, as he signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded months later to the Mariners for pitcher Jeter Martinez.
So far in his MLB career, Ferguson, who turned 29 years old in July, has a 3.66 ERA and 3.67 FIP through 333 appearances. He also carries a career 113 ERA+. Ferguson posted a .280 BABIP in the 2025 MLB campaign to go with an 18.9 percent strikeout rate and 8.1 percent walk rate.
The Reds, who made the MLB postseason in 2025, were 14th in the big leagues in that season with a bullpen ERA of 3.89.
