Just days after Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto expressed a desire to be “aggressive” in pursuing bullpen help, Seattle has made a move—though not the blockbuster some might have expected.
Instead, the Mariners completed a lower-profile but intriguing trade, acquiring left-hander Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic broke the news, and Adam Jude of The Seattle Times later reported that Pittsburgh will receive right-handed pitching prospect Jeter Martinez in return. Martinez was ranked as Seattle’s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Caleb Ferguson is the second lefty the Mariners needed in their bullpen
Caleb Ferguson, 29, has been in the majors for seven years, though he gives off the vibe of someone who’s been around even longer—probably because he fits the mold of a typical left-handed reliever so well.
He’s on a one-year, $3 million contract and pitches from a three-quarter arm slot. His repertoire includes a four-seam fastball with average velocity, complemented by a cutter, sinker, and slurve to keep hitters guessing. Ferguson is mostly effective in platoon situations, particularly this year, as he’s limited left-handed hitters to just a .439 OPS.
That said, there’s more to Ferguson than just being a matchup guy. He’s leaned more on his sinker this season, which has made him extremely tough to barrel up. Not only is his ground-ball rate above 50%, but he also ranks in the 100th percentile for both exit velocity and hard-hit rate.
The downside? He only strikes out 19.3% of batters, so he doesn’t add the kind of swing-and-miss presence that Seattle’s bullpen lacks. But that’s acceptable, since manager Dan Wilson likely won’t use Ferguson as his top lefty.
In fact, the Mariners recently outlined their need for a second left-handed reliever to allow Gabe Speier to take on more high-leverage situations. Ferguson fits that need perfectly, especially if he can handle key middle-inning outs against tough left-handed hitters like Riley Greene, Cody Bellinger, or Roman Anthony in the postseason.
Meanwhile, Seattle could still be eyeing a bigger bullpen splash. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports they’re interested in Twins righty Jhoan Duran—whom we just highlighted as the best relief target available for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.
But time is running short, with the trade deadline set for 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, just 24 hours away.
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