Cardinals make buzzer-beater move and land left-handed sinker-baller from Reds

The St. Louis Cardinals managed to beat the buzzer and acquire veteran reliever Caleb Ferguson from the division rival Reds for $250,000 in international bonus pool money, per Jeff Passan. 

Ferguson, 30, has become a journeyman of sorts in his MLB career. So far, he’s played for the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros, Pirates, Mariners, Reds, and now, your very own St. Louis Cardinals. 

This season, Ferguson has a 4.01 ERA in 24.2 innings, with 22 strikeouts, and an iffy 1.50 WHIP. 

If you’re wondering why the Cardinals would acquire such a piece, they recently made a trade with the Brewers, sending off left-handed reliever JoJo Romero and starting pitcher Dustin May. 

With that being the case, Ferguson provides some stability down the stretch without overexposing a minor league system. The last thing St. Louis needs is to be reliant on legitimate talent for garbage innings in a season they deemed not worth competing for. 

Ferguson actually has much more intriguing underlying numbers than his face-value stats show. His xERA of 3.48 demonstrates a bit of bad luck. Pair that with his elite average exit velocity against and his ability to keep hitters on the ground, and you’ve got yourself a nice weapon. 

St. Louis’ stellar infield defense will surely aid Ferguson, as he’s moving from the Reds, who depend on a group of elite hitter-first position players (looking at you, Sal Stewart). 

Pitching in front of JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, and potentially former Gold Glove winner Ramon Urias should do wonders for Ferguson. 

This could end up being a sneaky pickup down the stretch, but what does it mean? 

What does the Cardinals’ most trade for Caleb Ferguson mean for the club? 

St. Louis is approaching the second half with a very relaxed temperament. Competing is not the objective, and it shows. 

Fans may feel disgruntled when they hear this, but the situation in St. Louis calls for more than just emotions–they need decisions. 

The Cardinals are banking on their elite-level talent in the minor leagues. What will they do until those pieces arrive? Tread water. 

You can hate it all you want. You can complain about how they’ve been mediocre for years now, and how they need a center fielder, and a third baseman, and an entire bullpen, but the Cardinals don’t see it that way. 

They believe they already have those pieces–they’re just in transit.

Having to wait for something you want is one of the hardest lessons in any person's life. 

Funnily enough, Ferguson is the signal that St. Louis is playing the waiting game, and fans are along for the ride. 

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