Andrew Heaney Likes Rangers Trajectory
New Texas Rangers starting pitcher Andrew Heaney said that one of his reasons for signing with the team was that he sees the trajectory of the franchise in much the same way as executive vice-president and general manager Chris Young.
“Getting on Zoom, talking with CY (Young) talking with Boch (manager Bruce Bochy), understanding the direction, the trajectory of the team, the organization, the way they view me as a pitcher,” Heaney said on Thursday at his introductory press conference. “(The Rangers) understood who I am, what I do what I do well, but also understood what I want to do better and how they can help me do that. So for me that was just that was a huge part of that.”
Heaney is the latest, and perhaps last, piece of the Rangers 2023 rotation, one that the Rangers set out to improve with veteran talent.
He joins new staff ace Jacob deGrom, who signed last week, and Jake Odorizzi, whom the Rangers traded for in November, as the staff newcomers. Jon Gray and Martín Pérez are the holdovers, though Pérez had to agree to a $19.65 million qualifying offer and is only signed through 2023.
Heaney’s deal, a two-year, $25 million contract, features an opt-out after 2023. With incentives, he could end up making $37 million for the life of the deal.
He spent Thursday touring Globe Life Field, getting to know team personnel and even running into Gray, who grew up less than an hour from Heaney’s hometown in Oklahoma. The pair played against each other in college baseball, with Gray playing for Oklahoma and Heaney at Oklahoma State.
“I'm excited to get to know him a little bit better as a person because really right now I just know him more as a player,” Heaney said of Gray.
Heaney comes to the Rangers after two seasons with three different teams. In 2021 the long-time Los Angeles Angels starter was traded to the New York Yankees at midseason and finished off a combined 8-9 record and 5.83 ERA.
He hit the free-agent market last season and ended up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he missed considerable time due to injuries. Once he returned he went 4-4 with a 3:10 ERA in 16 games (14 starts).
Even though he only played part of the year, Heaney boasted one of the best strikeout rates in the Majors, recording 13.62 strikeouts per nine innings, which was the best of his career and second-best among MLB pitchers with a least 70 innings. He struck out 110 and walked just 19.
In spite of last season’s injury and a career in which he hasn’t won at least 10 games in a single season, Heaney reportedly had multiple contract offers. The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly had interest. If that’s the case, then Heaney passed on two teams that made the playoffs in 2022 for one that hasn’t had a winning season in six years.
He said he relishes the opportunity to be a factor for a rotation that he believes can be highly competitive next season.
“I want to be a part of a group that can be a strong point of this team to lead us to where we want to go,” Heaney said.
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