Sources: Pirates Place Two Former Prospects on Waivers

Pirates Place Former Prospects Peguero and Bae on Waivers

However, it’s the Pirates’ willingness to move on from Peguero and Bae that’s the big story here. As the Pirates enter the seventh year of the Ben Cherington Era, it’s clear that they have to change the way they do business. Whether these moves signal that radical changes are in store remains to be seen. Both players represented an “old guard” that failed with numerous opportunities.

Out with Peguero

In his first move as Pirates general manager in January 2020, Cherington acquired Peguero from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a deal that sent Starling Marte to the desert. At the time, Peguero was Arizona’s No. 6 prospect. Although Oneil Cruz was also in the system, he was a Neal Huntington acquisition. It was thought that Peguero would be groomed as the shortstop of the future.

That never came to fruition, however. In seven minor league seasons, Peguero posted a rather pedestrian stat line of .266/.325/.416, 62 HR, and 320 RBI. He got a taste of the majors every season since 2022, but never stuck around for a full season, and showed only flashes of promise. Over those four seasons, he slashed 227/.278/.368 while providing only average defense. In 2023, he surprised by belting seven home runs in 59 games. However, that earned him only a three-game callup in 2024.

In 2025, Peguero began to see action in the outfield and at first base at Triple-A Indianapolis in an attempt to give him more versatility. That’s a kiss of death for one hoping to hook onto a major league job as a regular. The Pirates brought him up in mid-July after they traded Adam Frazier to Kansas City. They tried Peguero as a right-handed platoon option at first base. That experiment yielded little other than Peguero’s three-home-run game in Colorado on August 2. But after producing a .200/.273/.363 stat line, he was returned to Indianapolis on September 18.

Out with Bae

Bae, 26, is an older prospect compared to Peguero, 24. He’s been an enigma since the Pirates signed him in 2018. The speedster plays the outfield and middle infield, although he was used exclusively as an outfielder in 2025. There, he makes the occasional highlight-reel play, but the Pirates needed more than that from him.

Bae showed tremendous on-base skills in the minors, where he slashed .302/.385/.434 over seven seasons. No doubt the Pirates’ brain trust drooled over the prospect of those skills translating to the majors, coupled with his speed, but it never materialized. In the majors, he showed an alarming tendency to chase pitches. Like Peguero, he was with the Pirates every year since 2022 but never for a full season. His career major league stat line is a meager .223/.294/.293, with a 25.5 strikeout rate being a contributing factor.

It seemed that the firing of manager Derek Shelton was a life preserver for Bae. In May, Bae was recalled in the first move of the Don Kelly Era but failed to impress. He was returned to Indy right away, and a second chance in September didn’t go much better.  He was 1-for-20 with nine strikeouts in the majors this past season.

The Last Word

If either player clears waivers, he can choose to remain Pirates property or declare free agency. However, in both cases, they’d be better off with a fresh start elsewhere. Given their ages and former pedigree, it’s easy to imagine another team taking a flyer on them.

Little never got a chance with the Pirates after they picked him up on a waiver claim from the Los Angeles Dodgers in August. They appeared to have little interest in him (no pun intended) despite the 2.79 ERA the right-hander posted in 14 games at Indy.

The Pirates now have a full 40-man roster, but there’s more work to be done.