The Cubs acquired right-hander Tyler Ferguson from the Athletics on May 7, 2026, and sent him to Iowa after opening a 40-man roster spot earlier in the day by designating Corbin Martin for assignment. Oakland received cash considerations in the deal after designating Ferguson for assignment the day before.
Ferguson, 32, gives Chicago a live arm with major league experience and a track record of missing bats and missing the zone. He has thrown 110 2/3 big league innings for the Athletics, with a 4.47 earned runs per nine average, a 12.6% walk rate and a 25.4% strikeout rate, along with four career saves and 22 holds. In the majors, he has worked with a five-pitch arsenal built around a four-seamer and sinker that have averaged around 95 miles per hour, a sweeper he throws almost 30% of the time, a cutter at 11% of the time and a changeup that makes up less than 4% of his offerings.
The move came as Chicago worked through pitching injuries to Hunter Harvey, Porter Hodge, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts and Caleb Thielbar, with the Cubs at 26-12 and tied for the best record in baseball. That urgency helps explain why they turned to a pitcher who had spent time going back and forth between Triple-A Las Vegas and the Athletics, even after the A's added him to their 40-man roster on May 7, 2024.
Ferguson’s numbers point to both the appeal and the risk. He posted a 2.82 ERA across the 2024 and 2025 minor league seasons, with an 8.2% walk rate and strikeouts against 31.8% of batters faced, but he also opened this year with a 6.17 ERA in his first ten Triple-A appearances. He was in his final option year, which made the Athletic’s decision to move him easier and the Cubs’ willingness to take him on more understandable. Chicago is betting that the version of Ferguson that flashed in the minors can show up again, and it needs help now.