The Pirates have placed three players on waivers. One of them is outfielder Ji Hwan Bae, per Danny Demilio of Pittsburgh Baseball Now. The other two are infielder Liover Peguero and right-hander Jack Little, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
At one point, the now-26-year-old Bae was a high-profile international signing who ranked among the organization’s better farmhands. He’s appeared in parts of four big league seasons but has never found his stride. The South Korea native carries a meek .223/.294/.293 line in 514 trips to the plate at the MLB level. He’s a good runner, swiping 37 bags in 49 tries (75.6%) and sitting in the 82nd percentile of MLB players in terms of average sprint speed, but Bae has fanned in more than one-quarter of his plate appearances and sits well below average in terms of exit velocity, hard-hit rate and other batted-ball metrics.
Originally a middle infielder, Bae never developed into a passable option at shortstop due in large part to subpar arm strength. The Bucs have given him plenty of run at second base and in center field — more the latter in recent seasons — but he hasn’t drawn quality grades at either position. He’s continually posted strong numbers in Triple-A (.305/.389/.451 in 1109 plate appearances) and has a minor league option remaining.
Peguero was an even more highly touted prospect than Bae. Originally acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Starling Marte, he’s a former top-100 prospect whom the organization at one point viewed as a possible shortstop of the future. In an all-too-common refrain for Pirates position prospects, however, his bat never came around. Peguero has seen action in four big league seasons but has mustered only a .227/.278/.368 slash line in 315 turns at the plate.
Unlike Bae, Peguero has also looked overmatched at the top minor league level. Outside of a late-2023 cameo in Triple-A where he smacked a pair of homers in 30 promising plate appearances, Peguero has produced well below-average numbers with the Pirates’ top affiliate in Indianapolis. He’s a .253/.317/.403 hitter in 888 plate appearances there, including a career-worst .247/.313/.375 showing in 75 games with Indy this season. Baseball America and other outlets have lauded his quality defensive tools but also noted a penchant for slipping into poor mechanical stretches that lead to far too many throwing errors. Peguero is out of minor league options.
The 27-year-old Little came to the Pirates via waivers in August. He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2025. Los Angeles selected Little out of Stanford with its fifth-round pick back in 2019. He’s pitched only three MLB innings and posted a 4.06 ERA with a 20.2% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate in 62 relief innings between the two organizations’ Triple-A affiliates in 2025.
Little sits 94 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with a slider and splitter — both in the mid-80s. He’s never been a top-ranked prospect in L.A.’s system but does have a pair of minor league options remaining and decent track record in the minors.
Did Jack Suwinski change his last name?
no he did not.
Little seems like a decent guy to keep on the 40 man.
not really unexpected but Liover does have some power. even with no improvement could be at 20+hr guy. Can’t really afford to wait and find out though.
Suwinski needs to be added to that list plus a few more.
I know with the Pirates luck, someone will teach Bae how to bunt for basehits but I am so glad to be rid of this dude. So much athletic ability and so little baseball IQ. Peggy seems like a good clubhouse guy but like Bae he was given so many chances and failed to deliver. Goes without saying but as BC’s first major trade (Marte) shows, he sucks at this important part of his job.
You’re not going to see me defending many of Cherington’s trades anymore, but tbf, the other part of the Marte trade, Brennan Malone, was a pretty highly touted first round pick just a few months before. Shame he’s had so many injuries, but Peguero being a bust sucks. Bae at this point is only really good for pinch running and depth. I don’t see him attemping to bunt more freqently will help him out.
Jack Little pitched decently in AAA last year and I am surprised that they did not waive the other guy with two last names who was hammered in AAA.
Bae and Peguero just ran out of time.Maybe another team can get something out of them.
Cherington stinks as a trader and it has hurt the Pirates immensely.
Cherington has thought that he can teach these very young players how to play but the proof is in the pudding that he cannot.
Jones and Darnell will come off the 60 day IL and Darrell-Hicks and Ramirez will be waived.
They will waive Simon and Valdez when they come off the 60 day IL.
Chang should be gone and Delaney will be gone when Endy comes off the 60 day IL.
Holderman will not be retained.
Those changes puts the roster at 33 which leaves room for Rule 5 callups and trades and free agents.
Will Robertson, Jack Suwinski, Evan Sisk, and Chase Shugart are all borderline DFA/waiver candidates as well.
Suwinski will stay if they are able to trade Cruz.
Sisk is mediocre but one of two lefthanders so they may keep him.
Robertson will stay for his power potential.
I think that Shugart is another Hunter Stratton who pitched well for the Pirates before his 2024 serious injury and very well for the Braves in 2025.
But that means that Cherington will consider to get rid of him.
These guys provide very good depth even if they do not throw 100 mph.
I find it hilarious if the Pirates are considering signing Andujar which is another of Cherington’s boneheaded decisions.
With my projections it should give them plenty of openings to make any improvements to the roster.I had thought that they would keep all three of the players waived.