Former Houston Astros Reliever in Agreement on Deal With Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed the former Houston Astros reliever to a one-year deal.

Sep 7, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson (64) reacts after being relieved from the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

It's a busy day around Major League Baseball with arbitration cases being settled. There was also a signing from a former Houston Astros player on Thursday afternoon.

According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, former Astros reliever Caleb Ferguson has agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His deal will be for one year, $3 million, and is pending a physical.

Ferguson has been around the league a bit throughout his young career. He will now be on his fourth team in just two seasons. His latest stint was with Houston in 2024.

During the 2024 campaign, the left-hander posted a 3.86 ERA, 104 ERA+, 2.88 FIP and struck out 26 hitters in 21.0 innings pitched for the Astros.

He appeared in 42 games for the New York Yankees last year, too, but didn't have his best season.

He finished his 42-appearance stint with the Yankees with a 5.13 ERA and 4.28 FIP. Those numbers weren't great, but Ferguson still managed to strike out 41 hitters in 33 1/3 innings pitched.

For just $3 million, this is a decent signing by the Pirates. He's been a quality reliever throughout his 261 2/3 innings of work in his six-year big league career.

The Ohio native has posted a career 3.68 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.3 WHIP and has struck out 314 hitters. 

28 years old, Ferguson will be an intriguing name to watch at the deadline. If Pittsburgh doesn't play as it hopes, he could be a trade candidate.

A decent arm when he's at his best, this could be a sneaky addition for the Pirates.