I mean, every team is searching for pitching all the time, especially teams with an eye on October, and even more so when you’re the Chicago Cubs, and you can’t go more than a few days between pitchers getting injured. This move isn’t sexy; you have most likely never heard of him, but like Tyson Miller and Drew Pomeranz, the Cubs are hoping they’ve gotten another hidden gem with right-handed reliever Tyler Ferguson.
Following the team’s eighth straight win and 15th in a row at Wrigley Field on Thursday, the Cubs made a minor trade with the Athletics, sending cash considerations in exchange for Ferguson. The 32-year-old pitcher has only made one relief appearance this year, and it was awful, as Ferguson gave up four earned runs on four hits, including two home runs to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
No, the 27.00 ERA won’t give Cubs fans much confidence that Ferguson will amount to much, and his numbers in 2025 weren’t all that good either. However, Ferguson has shown some flashes of success with an above-average strikeout rate and the ability to avoid heavy damage.
In 2024, Ferguson recorded a 3.68 ERA in 51.1 innings. He struck out 62 batters in 48 games and held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average. The results dipped in 2025, as the right-hander recorded a 4.88 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 58 innings. Yet, Ferguson did have an incredible start to the year, posting a 0.52 ERA through his first 17.1 innings.
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He had a couple of rough outings throughout the 2025 season: five earned runs in one inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 14, and six earned runs in 0.2 innings against the Houston Astros on June 18. However, Ferguson was able to bounce back in a big way during the final two months for Athletics after he returned from his demotion to Triple-A.
From Aug. 9 through the end of the year, Ferguson recorded a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings. The righty didn’t give up any home runs during that stretch, and hitters couldn’t really square him up, as they only had a 3.6 barrel% and 26.8 hard hit% against Ferguson, while generating an average exit velocity of 86.6mph.
That being said, the walks are a concern. His 25.6 K% from 2024-25 is good, but the 12.8 BB% ranked fourth-worst among all qualified relievers in those two seasons. Even when Ferguson was shutting down hitters to end last year, the walks were high, 12 in 23 innings. So, he was wildly effective, but you definitely want the walks to come down if the Cubs want Ferguson to succeed for long stretches of time.
Ferguson features five pitches: a four-seam fastball, a sweeper, a sinker, a changeup, and a cutter. He averaged 96.1mph in his rookie year, but that’s settled into the 95mph range since last season. Ferguson does have a minor league option remaining, so the Cubs can stash him away in Triple-A and bring him up and down if he struggles.
He certainly has the arm talent to suddenly become a guy, but the Cubs probably will want to work on a few things to decrease the walks. Ferguson has some high-leverage experience, earning four saves and 23 holds during his time with the Athletics.
Overall in his career, Ferguson has a 25.4 K%, 12.6 BB%, and 4.47 ERA in 110.2 innings.
