(Featured photo from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Facebook page)

Amidst their quiet and underwhelming offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates and general manager Ben Cherington made a trade that aimed to bolster their bullpen depth.

Even in an offseason that had Spencer Horwitz as the Pirates’ big trade acquisition and Tommy Pham as their big fish in free agency, a trade in January with the Boston Red Sox still went largely under the radar.

Pittsburgh sent relieving prospect Matt McShane, a 13th round pick in last year’s draft, to the Red Sox in exchange for reliever Chase Shugart.

At the time of the trade, he was portrayed as a potential “diamond in the rough” get for the Pirates. He had very limited major league action, making his debut with Boston in August of 2024. In 8.2 innings for the Red Sox, Shugart allowed four earned runs and three walks, and recorded eight strikeouts. Opponents batted .242 against him in that limited time.

He earned his first — and to date, only — major league save on September 24th, becoming a member of the one-save club in Boston.

In Triple-A with Boston’s affiliate in Worcester, Shugart had a 4.46 ERA and 1.373 WHIP, and recorded 80 punchouts through 70.2 innings.