Red Sox acquire pitching prospect in trade with Pirates
Following last week’s trade for catcher Blake Sabol that resulted in Chase Shugart being designated for assignment (DFA), the Red Sox found a destination for Shugart, trading him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Matt McShane.
McShane was drafted in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old comes to the Sox with no professional experience yet, but decent collegiate stats: he compiled a 13-2 record in 53 appearances, while posting a 3.76 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 119.2 innings pitched for St. Joseph’s University in the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 conference.
McShane also played summer baseball in some very highly regarded leagues: The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECL) in 2022, and the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) for the Bourne Braves in 2023-2024. The CCBL is widely regarded as one of the top collegiate summer leagues in the country; many top major-league prospects and stars have played in the CCBL, including the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.
It’s interesting to note McShane’s CCBL numbers, because that is where he would have faced the most top-tier D-I talent, compared to his other collegiate playing time. Over his two years playing for Bourne in the CCBL, he pitched 26 innings with 33 strikeouts, and a 5.43 ERA. Curiously, from 2023 to 2024, his ERA ballooned from 1.40 to 9.45.
Long story short, the Red Sox have acquired a project. In all likelihood, McShane will not be seen at Fenway anytime soon, but it is good to see that the Red Sox were able to squeeze some value out of Shugart after designating him for assignment.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore communications student at Northeastern University. Follow him on X @LukeGraham05.