Breaking Down the Cardinals Trade for Caleb Ferguson

Ferguson began his career in 2018 and pitched five seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also has made brief stops with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners.

The Cardinals had been down a lefty in their bullpen since Romero went on the injured list due to appendicits. St. Louis was left with only Justin Bruihl to take those spots. So, they needed somebody to help take the load off of Bruihl, and by adding Ferguson via trade with the Reds, they have picked up another left-handed pitcher who can be deployed in high-leverage situations against lefty hitters.

The Cardinals may have been sellers at the deadline, but they aren't officially dead in the playoff hunt just yet. They are still within striking distance of the third National League wild card spot and kept pace with the other wild card contenders thanks to a win over the Yankees on Monday night.

Over his eight-year career, Ferguson owns a 3.69 ERA in 359 appearances. He can also occasionally be used as a starter. He has made a start this season and has 15 career starts to his name.

St. Louis sent $250,000 of internations bonus pool space to the Reds to make this deal. Ferguson certainly isn't a household name, but he gives the Cardinals an extra lefty in the bullpen, and that could potentially help keep them afloat in the wild card race as the dog days of the 2026 season begin.

It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals use him and how he fares with his new team, but this move certainly isn't a pointless one. It does help the Cardinals now and could allow them to at least stay in the race for the time being.