The Pittsburgh Pirates shed some weight from their bullpen by trading right-handed-pitcher Chase Shugart to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Shugart was drafted in in the 12th round of the MLB Draft in 2018 by
the Red Sox, and has some seen some playing time in the Major Leagues over the past two seasons in both Boston and Pittsburgh. The 29-year-old Texas native signed with Pittsburgh in 2025.
This past season with the Pirates Shugart saw action in 35 games and posted a 4-3 record with a 3.40 ERA and 31 strikeouts. With Philadelphia he will be in line to compete for one of their final roster spots, with six of their eight bullpen spots all but locked up.
In exchange for Shugart, the Pirates got infield prospect Francisco Loreto, who was assigned to the Florida Coast League affiliate team. Loreto was signed to a Minor League contract with Philadelphia as an international free-agent. The Venezuelan native spent 2025 with the FCL Phillies where he had a .237 batting average with five home runs, 16 RBIs and 28 runs scored.
The Pirates are continuing to look for another bullpen pitcher, but have already added Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery to their core.
