If the New York Yankees are looking to fill in their pitching depth, former Yankee and current Pittsburgh Pirates starter Andrew Heaney might just be their guy.
R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports identified the Pirates as a likely team to sell as they are working on a rebuild, and he doesn’t think they’re going to trade Paul Skenes, despite the rumor mill.
“Impending free agents Andrew Heaney and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa are logical candidates to go, and it would only make sense to explore the market for relievers David Bednar and Dennis Santana,” Anderson writes. “If the Pirates really want to get bold, how about shopping catcher Joey Bart? He was a savvy addition last April, but he’s already in his late 20s and the Pirates could use the rest of the season to figure out what they have in young backstops Endy Rodríguez and Henry Davis.”
In 11 starts for the Pirates this season, Heaney has a 3.41 ERA, slightly better than his career ERA of 4.40. He started out stronger, with a season ERA of 1.72 in his first five starts, but has since taken a bit of a dip. He is currently playing on a one-year contract for $5.25 million, and has been floated as a useful back-end starter when the Pirates start to shop their veterans around.
Anderson noted the lefty’s inconsistency, and touted him as a “tolerable” option.
“Heaney’s season is a Rorschach test for how one evaluates pitchers,” Anderson went on to say. “On the one hand, he’s done a good job of keeping runs off the board with his west-east approach. On the other hand, his strikeout rate has cratered by two batters per nine innings compared to last season. Teams are more likely to concern themselves with the second part of that matter, which is notable given they already viewed him with skepticism (he had to settle this offseason for a one-year pact worth just over $5 million). Even so, there’s only so much starting pitching to go around. Heaney is a tolerable back-end option, particularly in the right environment.”
A first-round pick in 2012, the 33-year-old has spent the majority of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels. After his run with the Angels, Heaney was traded to the Yankees, where he pitched for one season before being designated for assignment. He has since played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, and most recently for the Pirates.
With pitching talent like Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole out on the Injured List for the time being, pitching depth might be a priority for the Yankees as they approach the trade deadline. Heaney wouldn’t be an exciting choice, but he has history with the team, and he might be a worthwhile rental to make up for any gaps.
