The St. Louis Cardinals squeezed in one last transaction before the 2026 MLB trade deadline, bolstering their bullpen by acquiring veteran left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Cincinnati Reds.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Cardinals sent $250,000 in international bonus pool spaceto Cincinnati in exchange for Ferguson, finalizing the deal just before the deadline expired.
The 30-year-old reliever arrives in St. Louis after an up-and-down season with the Reds. In 24.2 innings this year, Ferguson posted a 4.01 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and recorded 22 strikeouts while working primarily in a middle-relief role.
The trade continues Ferguson’s journey as one of baseball’s most frequently moved relievers in recent years. Since leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he spent the first five seasons of his major league career, Ferguson has played for multiple organizations, making St. Louis the seventh club of his eight-year MLB career.
St. Louis completed the acquisition shortly after trading left-handed reliever JoJo Romero to the Milwaukee Brewers, signaling an effort to reshape its bullpen for the remainder of the season. Ferguson is expected to provide another experienced left-handed option as the Cardinals look to stabilize their relief corps.
Although the Cardinals remain on the fringe of the National League Wild Card race, they still have an opportunity to make a late postseason push. However, the club will need to reverse its recent struggles after winning just three of its last ten games.
With the trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, the Cardinals will hope Ferguson’s experience and versatility can strengthen the bullpen as they attempt to stay in contention during the final stretch of the regular season.
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