“The runway with the bullpen having one lefty, now two, one before I signed there, it’s a chance to get put in some different spots,” Ferguson said. “Watching the team last year, it looked like a lot of fun going down the stretch there. Everybody plays this game hoping for the chance to win. In my situation, this is my best chance to try to win some ball games.”
Ferguson debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 and has a 3.66 ERA in 333 career appearances. He began last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the Seattle Mariners at the deadline. Ferguson became an important piece of the bullpen on a Mariners team that was a contender in the American League.
Ferguson excels at limiting hard contact. While he doesn’t strike out many hitters, he rarely allows home runs and is elite at getting outs against left-handed hitters. Last year, lefties hit .184 against him.
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said at the outset of the offseason that rebuilding the bullpen was a priority for a team that saw four relievers hit free agents. So far, the Reds have brought back closer Emilio Pagán, added Ferguson and signed Keegan Thompson, who will compete for a long relief role.
The Reds made solidifying their bullpen a priority this offseason, and the back of the bullpen enters 2026 in stronger shape than it was entering the 2025 season.
“It’s a lot of young exciting arms and a lot of talent,” Ferguson said.
Re-signing Pagán was the Reds’ first big move of the winter. Eighth inning reliever Tony Santillan and seventh inning reliever Graham Ashcraft return from last year’s team. Behind those pitchers and now Ferguson, the Reds have a strong collection of rookies who have elite stuff but are less proven and are working on making their command more consistent. Connor Phillips, Zach Maxwell and Luis Mey are among the rookie relief options who could pitch their way into a setup role.
None of those rookies are left-handed, however, and Ferguson will give Reds manager Terry Francona the ability to play the matchups more often next season.
“He told me (another left-handed reliever) was a need on his roster last year, so he’s very excited that it’s filled for him,” Ferguson said.
While the Reds often counted on a right-handed reliever to get tough outs against left-handed hitters in 2025, Ferguson is set up to get critical outs for the 2026 Reds. He has also proven to be very durable, consistently pitching 60+ games in a season.
Ferguson also has plenty of playoff experience, appearing in 12 career playoff games between the Dodgers, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners. The Reds have had success in recent years adding veterans, including Pagán, who bring their experiences and lessons from winning teams to Cincinnati. Ferguson fits that trend.
Having spent most of the 2025 season in the NL Central, Ferguson already had positive impressions about the Reds’ roster.
“I felt like it was every time I faced them, you were a couple of singles away from being in a bad spot and having a three-run inning at any moment,” Ferguson said. “Those are the scary teams. The ones that can single you to death and work up a pitch count and before you know it it’s a three-run inning and you don’t know how it happened. Not to live or die by the long ball is kind of nice. Having some guys who will get on base and create a bit of chaos is going to be fun to be on this side of.”
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