Cincinnati Reds trade Nathaniel Lowe, Caleb Ferguson before MLB trade deadline passes

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds have traded Nathaniel Lowe and Caleb Ferguson as the Major League Baseball trade window closes.

The trade announcements come shortly after the trade deadline of 6 p.m. Monday.

Lowe, a first baseman and designated hitter for Cincinnati, was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for 19-year-old right-hand pitcher Alejandro Rivera. Rivera has an ERA of 3.06 in 13 games between ACL and Low-A this season.

The 2026 season marked Lowe's first with Cincinnati after he previously played with the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. The veteran infielder has a .266 batting average, .341 OBP and .821 OPS this season, with 12 home runs and 37 RBI across 248 at-bats.

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired Ferguson, a left-handed pitcher, from the Reds for $250,000 in international bonus space.

Ferguson came to the Reds from the Seattle Mariners when he was signed by Cincinnati to a one-year, $4.5 million contract in December 2025. The 30-year-old has appeared in 26 games during the 2026 season so far, collecting 1 win and 22 strikeouts with a 4.01 ERA.

The Reds also acquired infielder Juan Brito from the Guardians for cash considerations. The 24-year-old has seen 56 MLB appearances this season, but has only batted .176/.250/.255 with 17 strikeouts (30.1%).

It was rumored that the Red Sox were trying to make a move to trade for Reds star Elly De La Cruz, but the talks went nowhere.

Lowe and Ferguson's trades come as the Reds have won four of their first five series since the All-Star break.

Cincinnati now heads into a three-game series with the Athletics beginning Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.