Cubs Claim Tyler Ferguson Off Waivers From Oakland, Bolstering Bullpen Depth

The Cubs have acquired right-hander Tyler Ferguson from the Athletics in a cash considerations deal, per announcements from both clubs. Chicago cleared the necessary 40-man roster space earlier in the day by designating fellow righty Corbin Martin for assignment. The move is a direct swap of bullpen depth, with Ferguson arriving in Chicago after Oakland had designated him for assignment the day prior.

Ferguson, 32, is a journeyman reliever who earned a spot on Oakland's 40-man roster just two seasons ago — a reflection of the kind of arm teams stash as organizational insurance. He doesn't profile as a high-leverage option, but that's not the ask here. The Cubs are filling a depth slot, likely with an eye toward Triple-A Iowa as much as the active roster in Chicago. Martin's DFA suggests the organization wasn't satisfied with what it had at the back of the bullpen and went shopping on the waiver wire for a replacement piece.

For context, the Cubs bullpen has been a work in progress in 2025, and front office decisions like this one — swapping one fringe arm for another — reflect the constant roster churn that defines a team trying to stay competitive while managing workload across a 162-game schedule. Ferguson doesn't change the Cubs' bullpen hierarchy at the top, but his presence gives manager Craig Counsell one more option to deploy in low-leverage, blowout, or mop-up situations.

From a betting standpoint, this transaction matters most at the margins. Ferguson profiles as a mop-up arm, which means his appearances are most likely in games that are already decided — blowouts where team totals have already cashed or busted. His direct impact on Cubs team totals in competitive games is minimal. That said, if Chicago's primary relievers are overworked and Ferguson gets bridging work in closer contests, his subpar profile could nudge late-inning run environments upward. For now, the first-five-innings market and NRFI angles remain insulated from this move — it's the seventh-inning-and-beyond, lopsided-game scenarios where Ferguson becomes relevant.

Watch for how quickly he appears on the active roster versus staying stretched at Iowa. If the Cubs promote him within a week, it signals the bullpen is stretched thinner than the box scores suggest — and that's a data point worth factoring into Cubs team total leans on days when their top four relievers are depleted.