Report: Pirates Sign Former Rangers Pitcher
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Two days before their spring training opener, the Pittsburgh Pirates are signing one of the top starting pitchers remaining on the free agent market in left-hander Andrew Heaney, per FanSided's Robert Murray.
Free-agent pitcher Andrew Heaney and the Pittsburgh Pirates are closing in on a contract, according to sources familiar with the situation.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 20, 2025
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Andrew Destin added that the deal is worth $5.25 million over one year and includes incentives.
Heaney posted a 4.28 ERA with 159 strikeouts over 160 innings and 31 starts for the Texas Rangers in 2024. The year prior, he helped the franchise win its first World Series by finishing the season with a 4.15 ERA in 147 1/3 frames and 34 appearances, 28 of which were starts.
A former first-round pick, Heaney has spent the bulk of his major league career as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he logged a 4.51 ERA and 593 punch-outs across 569 1/3 innings from 2015 through the 2021 trade deadline, when he was sent to the New York Yankees.
At 33-years-old, Heaney becomes the veteran spokesman of a Pirates rotation that is oozing with young talent.
He'll likely slot in as the No. 4 starter behind Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, which would leave one spot open for the likes of Bailey Falter, Johan Oviedo and perhaps even Bubba Chandler or Thomas Harrington to compete over this spring.
Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.