The Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates made an in-state trade on Tuesday.
The Phillies are bringing aboard an MLB relief pitcher, while the Pirates have received a minor league infielder in return.
The move was reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale:
- Phillies get: RHP Chase Shugart
- Pirates get: INF Francisco Loreto
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Shugart was originally a 12th-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2018 out of the University of Texas.
He's 29 years old now and has pitched in 41 MLB games across the past two seasons, his first two in the majors.
In six games with the Red Sox in 2024, he had a 4.15 ERA.
He then threw 35 games for the Pirates in 2025 with a 3.40 ERA.
Shugart's strikeouts per nine ratio in 2025 was just 6.5, which isn't necessarily ideal, but he found a way to get outs anyway.
His career ERA in the minor leagues is 4.54, and he also strikes out less than a batter per inning in the minors.
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Loreto is an 18-year old from Venezuela going back to the Pirates in the deal.
He spent the 2025 season in the Florida Complex League, which is Rookie ball, and hit.237 with a.728 OPS.
This trade likely won't amount to much more than a potential depth reliever for the Phillies and a longshot youngster for the Pirates, but you never know.
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