Red Sox Could Consider Acquiring Ex-Yankees Lefty To Strengthen Rotation

Boston would benefit from another experienced arm on its staff

May 25, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A general view of practice balls prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

As the Boston Red Sox survey the market for more starting pitching, they might take some time to consider a former New York Yankees southpaw.

Boston loves what it is getting from Garrett Crochet in 2025, and Walker Buehler has started gaining steam recently, too. The same can’t be said for Tanner Houck, and the rest of the Red Sox rotation is full of guys coming back from injuries with unpredictable near futures.

If and when Boston looks to add another starter via trade to bolster the rotation, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew Heaney could become a target. Heaney has worn many uniforms in his career thus far. Outside of the Pirates and the aforementioned Yankees, Heaney has also pitched for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Texas Rangers, with whom Heaney won a World Series in 2023.

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller identified Heaney as a likely trade chip in a new report.

“Heaney had been respectable and mostly healthy over the past few seasons, so it was surprising this winter when he had to wait until late February to settle for a major pay cut, going from a $13M salary in 2024 to what might be a $6M deal if he hits all his innings-based escalators this year,” Miller wrote.

“But at what will be somewhere around just $2M for a two-month rental this summer, there will be a ton of interested parties if he continues pitching at a middle-of-the-rotation level.”

Heaney has a 2.13 ERA this season through 25 1/3 innings pitched. The 33-year-old still has good stuff, and he’d be a welcome addition to Boston’s rotational depth that has a few question marks.

Should Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow prepare an offer for Heaney?

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