According to Brendan Kuty and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the New York Yankees traded for reliever Caleb Ferguson. In return, the Los Angeles Dodgers will receive pitcher Matt Gage.
Ferguson has played his first five Major League Baseball seasons with the Dodgers. He missed the 2021 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery. He rejoined the squad the following year and posted a 1.82 earned run average in 34.2 innings. He struck out 37 batters and collected 23 hits.
The Yankees acquire lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Dodgers
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 5, 2024
Ferguson posted a 3.43 ERA in 68 games last season, after a 1.82 ERA in 37 games in 2022 pic.twitter.com/FoHGGf0z4V
Last season, Ferguson finished with a 7-4 win-loss record and a 3.43 ERA in 60.1 innings. Over the previous two seasons, he had a 2.84 ERA and a 3.21 FIP. Ferguson has a career 3.43 ERA and 247 strikeouts in 207.1 innings. He achieved these numbers by relying on his four-seam fastball and his slider.
Trading for Ferguson will allow the Yankees to fill the void left by Wandy Peralta, who signed with the San Diego Padres. The Yankees won’t have Keynan Middleton as well after the reliever signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Meanwhile, Ferguson is the second relief pitcher the Yankees have acquired from the Dodgers. Last December, they traded for Victor Gonzalez and Jorbit Vivas for Trey Sweeney. Ferguson and Gonzalez will likely join a bullpen with Jonathan Loaisiga, Clay Holmes, and Tommy Kahnle.
In addition to improving their relief pitching rotation, the Yankees acquired starting pitchers Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million contract and Luke Weaver to a one-year, $2 million deal. The Yankees also traded for Cody Morris and signed right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet.
In other news, Rosenthal tweeted that Ryan Brasier agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal with the Dodgers. Satisfying the stipulated incentives could bump his earnings to $13 million.
-Lance Fernandez