The Reds’ trade deadline strategy drew plenty of head-scratching, and the aftershocks are still playing out. Cincinnati dealt only two players before August 3, sending former Silver Slugger Award-winner Nathaniel Lowe to the Cleveland Guardians and moving left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson to the St. Louis Cardinals for a 19-year-old pitching prospect and $250,000 in international bonus pool money.
Lowe has given Cleveland a modest spark, appearing in 21 games with seven extra-base hits and a .670 OPS. Ferguson’s time with the Cardinals went in the opposite direction. The left-hander has now been released after a rough stretch that never got off the ground.
Ferguson made only nine appearances for St. Louis and faced just 41 batters.
In 8⅓ innings, he allowed eight runs on 11 hits and finished with an 8.64 ERA. He did manage nine strikeouts, but he also issued eight walks, and the Cardinals decided to move on.
It’s a sharp fall for a pitcher who had been useful in Cincinnati. Ferguson signed a one-year deal with his hometown Reds last offseason, then got delayed by an oblique injury to start the year. Once he returned, he worked in 26 games out of the bullpen and posted a solid 4.01 ERA with 22 strikeouts.
Now he’s back on the market, trying to catch on with another club before the season ends. If he lands somewhere after September 1, he won’t be eligible for a postseason roster.
There was better news on the pitching side for the Reds with Carson Spiers taking another step in his comeback. Spiers started a rehab assignment last week and threw 3⅔ innings for the Dayton Dragons, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out four before coming out after 66 pitches.
Spiers was recently activated off the Louisville Bats injured list and made his first Triple-A start since July of last season. That outing lasted 4⅓ innings, but he was tagged for six runs on six hits, including two home runs.
His road back has been a long one. Spiers missed nearly all of last season after a shoulder injury and Tommy John surgery, then was taken off the Reds’ 40-man roster this past offseason before quickly being brought back on a minor-league deal. The Reds will likely try to keep the 28-year-old in the organization this winter.
And late last week, former third-round pick Hunter Hollan was released by the Reds organization, according to the Daytona Tortugas transaction log. Hollan had been activated from the 60-day IL last month and made 13 appearances in the Reds’ minor leagues this season.
In all, Hollan logged just 25 appearances since being drafted more than three years ago. Injuries have defined his career, and despite his draft status, Cincinnati’s leadership apparently no longer saw a path forward for the 24-year-old right-hander.
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