The Philadelphia Phillies attempted to improve their bullpen on Tuesday by acquiring right handed relief pitcher Chase Shugart of Bridge City, Texas from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league third baseman Francisco Loreto of Maracay, Venezuela according to Rogers Sportsnet. Loreto batted .237 in Rookie Ball in 2025 while playing in the Phillies organization.
Shugart is joining his third Major League Baseball franchise. He was with the Boston Red Sox in 2024 and the Pirates in 2025.
In 2025, Shugart had a record of four wins and three losses with an earned run average of 3.40. In 35 games and 45 innings pitched, he gave up 33 hits, 17 earned runs, six home runs and 17 walks, to go along with 31 strikeouts, five holds, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.11.
Shugart has one save in his Major League Baseball career. It came in a 6-5 Boston Red Sox win over the Toronto Blue Jays on September 24, 2024. In this game, Shugart pitched two thirds of an inning, gave top two walks, but had two fly ball outs, did not give up an earned run, and preserved the Red Sox win.
The Phillies have been very busy in the offseason trying to improve their bullpen. The other additions were Canadian Zach Pop of Brampton, Ontario, Kyle Backhus of New Waverly, Texas, Jonathan Bowlan of Arlington, Texas, and Brad Keller of Snellville, Georgia.
For the second straight year, the Phillies signed a Canadian pitcher who struggled the season before. Pop had an earned run average of 14.85 with the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. In last year’s offseason, the Phillies signed Jordan Romano of Markham, Ontario. In 2024, Romano had an earned run average of 6.59 with the Blue Jays.
