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The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a trade that will send left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson to the Bronx, multiple league sources said. The AthleticIt’s Ken Rosenthal. As part of the return, Dodgers will receive left-hander Matt Gage, who was claimed off waivers last week. According the athletic one Chris Kirschner, the Dodgers will also receive Christian Zazueta, a 19-year-old pitcher who was with the Yankees’ Dominican Summer League team.
The move fills the void left for the Yankees by the departure of left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta to San Diego. For the Dodgers, it opens up a spot on the 40-man roster that could be used if the team signs Clayton Kershaw or Ryan Braiser.
Who is Caleb Ferguson?
Ferguson, who will turn 28 in July, has a 3.43 ERA in 201 games. Last season, he had a 3.43 ERA in 68 appearances with the Dodgers, striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings and walking 3.4 per nine. He relies heavily on a four-seamer that averages 96 mph and a slider that averages 86 mph.
Ferguson, who has one year of team control left before becoming a free agent next offseason, will likely influence the back end of the Yankees’ bullpen, hoping to team with top options Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga and Tommy Kahnle. — Brendan Kuty, Yankees writer
The state of the Yankees bullpen
The Yankees needed at least one more arm in the bullpen after losing Wandy Peralta to the San Diego Padres and Keynan Middleton to the St. Louis Cardinals.
“You never know what could happen between now and spring training,” Boone said Saturday. “(Peralta) has obviously been very valuable to us and he’s gotten a lot of big outs, especially the last two years, really dominating left-handed hitters. We have Víctor González. We’ll see what we keep adding. There will be opportunities for other people to step forward. Hopefully, guys you’re not even thinking about right now will emerge and be key pieces for us in the pen.”
Like Peralta, Ferguson is a ground ball pitcher who limits hard contact. He finished in the 97th percentile in barrel rate last season. Additionally, Ferguson’s 2.58 ERA since 2022 is the sixth-lowest for any left-handed reliever who has pitched at least 75 innings.
Ferguson is the second left-handed reliever the Yankees acquired from the Dodgers this offseason, with Gonzalez being the other. The Yankees traded infielder prospect Trey Sweeney for Gonzalez and infielder Jorbit Vivas in December. — Chris Kirschner, Yankees writer
(Top photo: Ronald Martínez/Getty Images)