The St. Louis Cardinals finalized one last transaction before the MLB trade deadline, acquiring veteran left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for $250,000 in international bonus pool money. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the move was completed just before the deadline expired, marking the third straight season Ferguson has been traded at the deadline.
Ferguson’s arrival helps replenish St. Louis’ bullpen after the club dealt fellow left-hander JoJo Romero as part of a series of deadline moves that also included the departures of Lars Nootbaar and Dustin May. The veteran southpaw is expected to provide another left-handed option out of the bullpen.
Despite selling off several notable players, the Cardinals remain within reach of the National League Wild Card race. At the time of the trade, St. Louis sat four games behind a playoff spot, although its postseason odds remained slim. Romero’s departure left the bullpen heavily reliant on right-handed relievers, with Justin Bruihl serving as the primary left-handed arm after posting a solid 3.59 ERA across 52⅔ innings.
Ferguson, who recently turned 30, joined the Reds on a one-year, $4.5 million contract during the offseason. His season began on the injured list because of an oblique injury, delaying his Cincinnati debut until late May.
The veteran reliever has traveled an unlikely path to the major leagues. Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Ferguson became the first player from his small hometown high school in West Jefferson, Ohio, to reach the big leagues.
Although his fastball velocity has dipped this season possibly as a lingering effect of his early injury Ferguson still brings valuable experience. Earlier in his career with the Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros, he generated plenty of strikeouts. More recently, he has transitioned into a contact-oriented reliever, a role the Cardinals hope will complement their late-inning right-handed options, including Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, and Ryne Stanek.
For Cincinnati, the move capped a relatively quiet deadline. The Reds also traded first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and acquired Juan Brito after his designation for assignment, but they chose to keep several veterans despite their fading playoff hopes. Players such as Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson, Eugenio Suárez, Pierce Johnson, Brock Burke, Emilio Pagán, and standout starter Hunter Greene all remained with the club, making the Reds’ conservative deadline approach somewhat surprising.
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