Sometimes, it's the smaller moves that end up making the more notable impact at the margins, which is exactly the case with the Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen at the moment.
Chase Shugart has been a godsend for the Phillies. The 29-year-old reliever was brought over from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a minor trade this past offseason, and has been a steadying force for a bullpen that has greatly underperformed to this point. Considering the fact that the Phillies just swept the Buccos on their home turf, there’s some extra salt in the wound to see Shugart excel for his new team.
A 12th-round pick back in 2018 by the Boston Red Sox, Shugart received a brief six-game cup of coffee in Beantown in 2024, but evidently didn’t do enough to stick around. Boston shipped him to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2025 season in exchange for Bensalem native Matt McShane.
Shugart performed well with the Pirates last season, working to a 3.40 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 45 innings. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t enough to stake a claim to a bullpen gig in 2026, and he was designated for assignment and traded once more, this time to the Phils for 18-year-old infielder Francisco Loreto.
The diminutive Texan was expected to be little more than Triple-A depth for an overhauled Phillies bullpen that featured trade deadline miracle Jhoan Duran, as well as newcomer Brad Keller and an unsuspended José Alvarado. However, pennants are not won in the offseason, and well-intentioned plans often go awry.
Duran missed close to a month with a strained oblique, Keller has been completely underwhelming as the de facto closer, and Alvarado has an ERA north of 5.00. Outside of Duran, the two most effective Phillies relievers have been unheralded pickups Shugart and Tim Mayza.
Chase Shugart has surprisingly been one of the Phillies' best relievers
The Pirates DFA’d reliever Chase Shugart last offseason and traded him to the Phillies so they could clear a roster spot.
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 16, 2026
Shugart’s 2026 stats with the Phillies:
13 G | 15.2 IP | 12 H | 3 ER | 3 BB | 15 K
1.72 ERA | 0.96 WHIP https://t.co/nX4OtRUI05
In 13 outings Shugart has racked up 15 strikeouts and allowed only 15 baserunners and three earned runs, giving him a sparkling 1.72 ERA. His five-pitch mix has allowed him to keep both right- and left-handed hitters at bay, making him a quality option for interim manager Don Mattingly out of the 'pen.
While Shugart’s entire season has been fantastic thus far, he must have felt especially satisfied on Friday night when he fired two scoreless innings against his former club in the Phillies’ epic 11-9 come-from-behind win. Considering how much of a dumpster fire the Pirates' bullpen has been this year, they'd certainly love to have him back.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has done a terrible job assembling depth in recent years, and it’s led to a multitude of problems as the club’s competitive window slowly closes. However, he deserves credit where it’s due, and so far Chase Shugart looks like a fantastic bargain bin pickup.
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