Former Pirates top prospect gets second chance with NL contender after recent DFA

This offseason, the Pirates went above and beyond protecting prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, protecting seven total players. In the process, they made a few questionable DFA decisions to open roster room. The Dauri Moreta move came as a surprise, as did DFAing former top prospect Liover Peguero. While his major league struggles prevented him from living up to the top prospect hype, this decision was still shocking, and it didn't take very long for him to find a deal with an NL contender.

In less than two weeks, Peguero landed a minor deal with the Phillies, giving himself a chance to turn his career around in a new organization. Now that he is officially out of Pittsburgh, it marks the end of the Starling Marte trade. Brennan Malone recently elected free agency, the other prospect acquired in the deal. He has yet to pitch above Low-A and is now 25 years old.

There were times Peguero looked like he was about to break out in Pittsburgh. His three-homer game against the Rockies this past summer felt like the start of what could be a monster second half, but he completely fell off after that. He finished the season with a .200 batting average and a 76 wRC+. The season was a dissapointing finish to his time with the Pirates.

Former Pirates top prospect Liover Peguero signs minor league contract with the Phillies

Peguero played across the infield in 2025, mixing in at shortstop, second base, and first base. His primary position was shortstop and now that he is gone, that opens space in Triple-A for other notable prospects in the middle infield. Konnor Griffin could make the big league team out of spring training, yet with just one season of professional baseball under his belt, the Pirates may still option him before bringing him up. Termarr Johnson is another significant prospect who should begin the year in Indianapolis.

It is very frustrating to lose Peguero and watch another failed trade come back to the surface, but on the bright side, the middle infield is unclogged in Triple-A. It seemed like Peguero hit a brick wall as a prospect in 2023 and just never bounced back. Now, Peguero looks to turn things around across the state in Philadelphia.