Free-agent left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Heaney has agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to ESPN’s Alden González.
Heaney, 33, was 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA (92 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP and 158 strikeouts against 40 unintentional walks in 160 innings last season for the Rangers, a season worth 0.8 WAR. He showed more value in 2023 as a swingman, starting 28 games and coming in relief six times. He also made three starts and came on in relief three times in the playoffs while the Rangers won the World Series. He had a 3.86 ERA that postseason, including a 1.59 in the World Series in his 5 ⅔ innings of work.
CBS Sports ranked Heaney as the 32nd best free agent available this winter, writing the following:
Heaney is now several seasons removed from his slider-inspired revival with the Dodgers. He hasn’t reached those heights since, but he’s been a perfectly cromulent starter who spams the opposition with a three-pitch mix (fastballs, sliders, and changeups). Heaney needs a particular environment to thrive: he allows a lot of fly balls and is vulnerable to hard contact, but teams in spacious ballparks could see him as a short-term fit near the back of their rotation.
Heaney figures to slot into a rotation that also includes Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller.
Heaney was having his best season in 2022, when he had a 3.10 ERA and struck out 110 against 19 walks in 72 ⅔ innings for the Dodgers, but it was cut short due to a shoulder injury. Still, that partial season offered a glimpse into Heaney’s upside and he’s avoided injury since. The fact that he’s a lefty is also a selling point.
In his career, parts of 11 seasons, Heaney is 51-62 with a 4.45 ERA and 1,070 strikeouts in 1,014 ⅓ innings.
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