When Terry Francona reached out to Caleb Ferguson, his message to his new lefty reliever was simple. He needed a southpaw in his 2025 bullpen. He now has one for 2026.
“He told me he’s watched me for three years from the other side,” Ferguson said on Thursday over Zoom. “He’s happy he doesn’t have to game-plan for me. He’s happy I’m on his side. Likewise.”
Francona is getting his lefty, and Ferguson, a West Jefferson native, is getting to return to Ohio. The Reds announced the signing of Caleb Ferguson on Thursday. A source told MLB.com it’s for one year and $4.5 million.
Ferguson recorded a 3.58 ERA over 70 appearances between the Pirates and Mariners in 2025, with 51 strikeouts over 65 1/3 innings. He started the year pitching in a variety of roles in the Pirates’ bullpen, being used as a middle reliever, lefty specialist and occasional leverage arm at different points in his four months in Pittsburgh. He was dealt to Seattle at the Trade Deadline and settled into a role more of a middle reliever lefty specialist.
Bouncing between different roles can be daunting for some pitchers, but it’s something Ferguson has felt comfortable doing for years.
“I’ve never tried to put too much stock into the situation I’m pitching in,” Ferguson said. “Whether my job is in the third inning, the ninth inning, the seventh inning, I don’t try to put a lot of stock into what inning I’m pitching in. At the end of the day, my job is to get outs and try to get them as efficiently as I can.”
Ferguson, 29, pitches off of his fastballs, with almost all of his offerings last year being a four-seamer, a cutter or a sinker. He also mixes in a high-spin slurve that hitters had a .208 batting average against in 2025.
Ferguson has seven years of Major League experience, five with the Dodgers. He was traded to the Yankees before the 2024 season, and subsequently dealt to the Astros that July before landing in Pittsburgh as a free agent last year. He has made 333 career appearances, all but 14 as a reliever.
He made three appearances this past postseason with the Mariners and allowed five runs over 2 2/3 innings.
The Reds’ bullpen is very right-handed, with Sam Moll the only lefty reliever on the 40-man roster before Ferguson’s addition. Moll split time last year between Cincinnati and Triple-A and recorded a 6.38 ERA in 18 1/3 innings in the Majors.
Ferguson held left-handed batters to a .184 batting average and .465 OPS last season. Right-handed hitters batted .263 with a .718 OPS.
The bullpen in general was also in need of some improvement and depth. The Reds re-signed closer Emilio Pagán to a two-year, $20 million contract earlier this month, and Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft should be setup men again, but the unit needed more middle relief and depth to help bridge the gap to those late-inning arms. The Reds’ bullpen finished 14th in the Majors with a 3.89 ERA in 2025 but blew 22 save opportunities.
Adding a veteran lefty to the mix could help improve those numbers as the Reds try to return to the postseason after earning a Wild Card spot in 2025. While the Reds’ trip to October might have been brief, Ferguson was impressed with what he saw.
“Watching the team last year, it looked like a lot of fun,” Ferguson said. “Being in a chase is always fun. I think everybody plays this game hoping for the chance to win. And [in] my given situation, I feel like this is my best chance to go out and win some ballgames.”