Toronto Blue Jays Should Target Pittsburgh Pirates Lefty at Trade Deadline

The Toronto Blue Jays could find precisely the starting rotation depth they need in a veteran arm in Pittsburgh.

Jun 1, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (45) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays should leave no stone unturned as they look for starting pitching depth at next month's trade deadline.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, there is a veteran left-hander who likely will hit the market and could be dealt if teams like the Blue Jays are willing to talk.

That pitcher is Pittsburgh Pirates starter Andrew Heaney.

“The Pirates believe they could get a healthy return for veteran starter Andrew Heaney at the trade deadline,” he wrote on Sunday.

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The 34-year-old Heaney is playing for the Pirates on a one-year contract worth less than $6 million. For the team that takes him on at the deadline, it would cost less than $3 million in salary, plus whatever must be shipped to Pittsburgh in terms of players or cash.

Heaney enters this week with a 3-5 record and a 3.33 ERA. If the season ended now, it would be the second-lowest single season ERA of his career.

More importantly, he’s giving the Pirates’ bullpen some real coverage. He has pitched in at least five innings in 12 of 14 starts and has pitched into the seventh inning in six games.

Right now, Toronto is dealing with some real issues at the back of its rotation. While the trio of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt would take the ball in the first three games of a potential playoff series, that fourth starter is a mystery right now.

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It could be Max Scherzer, whom the Blue Jays hoped would serve as a fourth starter. He’s injured and currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo.

It could be Bowden Francis, who is on the precipice of falling out of the starting rotation. Eric Lauer has fit in as a nice part-time option, but his long-term fit is unclear.

Heaney’s best quality lately is his durability. Since he signed with the Texas Rangers before the 2023 season, he’s made nearly every scheduled turn in the rotation. He was willing to move into a part-time relief role with the Rangers down the stretch of their World Series run in 2023 and made key postseason appearances as the franchise won its first world title.

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He can be a fourth or fifth starter in a regular season run to the postseason and then be a fourth starter or swing bullpen arm in the postseason. His postseason experience would be helpful to Toronto, too.

He’s never had clean numbers. He’s only won 10 or more games once in his career, which was his 10-9 record with Texas in 2023. Last season he went 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA, but he started 32 games and took the ball without complaint.

That’s a quality the Blue Jays could use right now — a player that takes the ball every fifth day and produces steady results. At the deadline, he could be the right move for Toronto.   

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