Lefty reliever Ferguson has sights set on October baseball in Cincy

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson was kidding around but was also making a point when speaking with his new Reds teammates earlier in Spring Training.

"I’m going into my eighth season now. I’ve been in the playoffs every year of my career," said Ferguson, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract on Dec. 18. "I kind of like to joke with guys, ‘Hey, we’re not going to end the streak here. It’s not going to stop now.’

"It’s a fun way to kind of poke at it a little bit and remind guys to take the bigger picture and go have some fun and win some ballgames.”

Ferguson, 29, has previously played for playoff clubs like the Dodgers (2018-23 but missed the ‘21 season with an injury), Astros (2024) and Mariners (2025) and also had stints with the Yankees and Pirates before being traded midseason.

The Reds, which had primarily Brent Suter as their lone lefty reliever for most of 2025, added two southpaws in Ferguson and Brock Burke, who was acquired in a January trade from the Angels.

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Over 70 appearances and 65 1/3 innings -- both career highs -- for Pittsburgh and Seattle last season, Ferguson had a 3.58 ERA. His roles were a mix of lefty specialist, middle reliever and some leverage situations.

“Last year was probably the best year I had in my career," Ferguson said.

Although his strikeout rate of 18.9 percent was a career low, Ferguson induced a lot of weak contact. The average exit velocity against him was 84.8 mph, which was in the 99th percentile of the big leagues, according to Statcast. He also allowed only two home runs.

"The strikeout rate was a little down. I don’t know why. My job is to get guys out. I can’t control if they get themselves out in two pitches. I just want to do my job," Ferguson said. “I take a ton of pride in being a strike thrower. It’s easier to gain trust in my manager, and my ballclub and my teammates if I go out and throw strikes and be efficient in the zone.

“Strikeouts are great. Any time you can get an out without having to rely on a play having to be made is great. At the end of the day, you just have to value outs.”

While manager Terry Francona hasn't settled on a defined role for his front-end relievers, he doesn't care about Ferguson's strikeout rate. He just wants early contact and repeatability.

“I know in this analytically-driven world, we’ve kind of gotten to [where] you’re supposed to miss bats. But getting the first-pitch grounder to second base is really good. It makes a lot of things better," Francona said.

The chance to contend with the Reds was a motivating factor for Ferguson to sign. But there was a personal side. For the first time in his big league career, he'll pitch close to home.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Ferguson grew up in West Jefferson just outside of the city and has been a Reds fan since middle school. He will experience his first Opening Day in Cincinnati, which is usually like no other in baseball.

“I never made it down to an Opening Day but I definitely have been to plenty of Reds games growing up throughout the years," Ferguson said. "I remember going to a [Cleveland] game one time. Everything else was the Reds. My sister went to school at [the University of] Cincinnati. I’ve spent extra time down there. Typically every time we’d go there, my dad and I, we’d go to a baseball game.”

Ferguson, whose wife is expecting a baby on March 8, is looking forward to having his family turn out at Great American Ball Park -- especially on Opening Day.

“I don’t know for sure how many tickets I will have to leave," he said. "But I know everybody is marking it off from work and they’re going to make a whole thing of it, for sure.”

From 2008 until he was taken in the 38th round by the Dodgers in the 2014 Draft, Ferguson saw some very good Reds teams that went to the postseason three times in that span. That included the club's last National League Central titles of 2010 and 2012.

“That was kind of my era of baseball," Ferguson said. “Those were all my guys. I remember Scott Rolen being at third base. Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey, all those guys. And they had that staff then, and it was a lot of fun.”

If Ferguson's playoff streak continues, he'll actually get to be part of the fun for the Reds this October.