The Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly signed left-handed relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson to a one-year deal, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles.
Ferguson, who will turn 29 in July, will play his sixth MLB season with the Pirates in 2025. Prior to joining the Pirates, Ferguson played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros.
The Dodgers drafted the West Jefferson high school product as the No. 1149 overall pick in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB draft. Ferguson spent four years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in June 2018.
Ferguson logged a 2.89 ERA while striking out 27 batters across 21 appearances during the Dodgers’ World Series championship season in 2020. However, Los Angeles left Ferguson off the postseason roster as he dealt with an elbow injury that ultimately resulted in Tommy John surgery.
The operation sidelined Ferguson for the entire 2021 season. But, when he returned to the mound, Ferguson posted a career-best season and accrued a 1.82 ERA through 37 appearances.
Just before the Dodgers’ second World Series championship series within the decade, Los Angeles traded Ferguson. The southpaw was sent to the Yankees in February in exchange for left-handed pitcher Matt Gage and right-handed pitcher Christian Zazueta.
Ferguson only spent the first half of the season with New York. He found himself as a piece of another trade in July. The Yankees traded Ferguson to the Astros for right-handed pitcher Kelly Austin, future considerations, and international bonus pool money.
Ferguson performed well for the Astros, posting a 3.86 ERA across 20 appearances. He also made a brief postseason outing with Houston against the Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card Series, where he earned the final out of the eighth inning.
The Pirates’ bullpen will benefit from the addition of Ferguson. Last season, Pittsburgh’s left-handed relievers posted the worst batting average (.267) and highest walk rate (12%) against left-handed hitters in the National League.
Ferguson has been a reliable lefty reliever for the majority of his MLB career. He also boasts a four-pitch repertoire, including a four-seam fastball, cutter, slurve, and sinker.
Ferguson marks the second left-handed reliever in the Pirates’ bullpen alongside Joey Wentz, who was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in September.
