Cardinals Officially Release 8-Year Veteran Pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals have officially moved on from veteran reliever Caleb Ferguson.

St. Louis took a step in this direction over the weekend when it announced that Brycen Mautz had been promoted to the big leagues and Ferguson had been designated for assignment. When a player is designated for assignment, it's not necessarily a guarantee that the player's time in an organization is over, though.

When a player is designated for assignment, clubs around the league have a chance to place a waiver claim and nab the player. If a player goes unclaimed, then a club has the opportunity to outright the player down to the minors. If a player has enough service time, they can opt to head to free agency instead. While this is the case, St. Louis took a different route. On Sunday, the Cardinals officially released Ferguson from the organization. The move is reflected on the league's transaction log.

St. Louis Is Moving On

Aug 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Caleb Ferguson (54) throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ferguson was acquired by the Cardinals from the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the 2026 trade deadline for $250,000 in international bonus space. Ferguson ended up pitching in just nine games in the majors for the Cardinals afterward before his eventual DFA and release. Over that span, Ferguson pitched to an 8.64 ERA and a 9-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 8 1/3 innings pitched.

Ferguson came to town right as the Cardinals traded JoJo Romero away. Romero was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers and Ferguson came to town ahead of the deadline as a lefty replacement option.

It wouldn't be shocking to see Ferguson find a new home quickly. He's an eight-year big league veteran who has spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Reds and the Cardinals. Overall, the lefty has a 3.80 career ERA in the majors across 368 total big league appearances. The best season of his career came in 2022 as a member of the Dodgers. That year, he logged a 1.82 ERA and a 37-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34 2/3 innings pitched.

For St. Louis, the bullpen has been a weakness all season. When Romero landed on the Injured List, it made things worse. Ferguson unfortunately wasn't the answer. Now, he's heading to free agency. For the Cardinals, it still has a bullpen issue. Rumors have surfaced indicating that Hancel Rincón will be coming on Sep. 1. Now, we wait.

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