The New York Yankees could be in the market for starting pitching near the trade deadline. They may be able to find a valuable rental as the seller’s market becomes clearer.
While some teams are on the fence between sellers and buyers, the Pittsburgh Pirates are poised to be sellers by the time the July 31 deadline comes. They have already changed managers this season, and are dead last in the National League Central. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson tabbed them as sellers, and the Yankees could be interested in Andrew Heaney.
“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,” wrote Anderson. “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 RodrÃguez and Henry Davis.”
The Pirates are clearly heading for a rebuild, and letting veterans nearing free agency block young talent is not the best way to do that. Heaney is on a one-year deal and could be a valuable piece for the Yankees. The Yankees lost Gerrit Cole in the offseason and Luis Gil is still on the injured list. Marcus Stroman is seemingly not going to get another chance as well.
Heaney pitched for the Yankees briefly in 2021. In 12 games, he had a 7.32 ERA. He has a 4.40 career ERA, but is pitching well this season. He has made 11 starts for the Pirates and has a 3.41 ERA. A reunion with Heaney could give the Yankees a reliable arm next to Max Fried and Gil in October.
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“Heaney’s season is a Rorschach test for how one evaluates pitchers,” Anderson wrote of Heaney. “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.”
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