Report: Released Pirates Veteran Joins Contender On Minor League Deal

Andrew Heaney will revisit a former club after his tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates ends.

Pittsburgh released Heaney last week after designating him for assignment. The left-handed starting pitcher found a new home by joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Heaney will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City, but he’d be eligible to pitch for the Dodgers in the playoffs if they put him on the 40-man roster.

A late offseason addition, Heaney signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Pirates in late February. He delivered a strong early return on that modest investment, registering a 3.33 ERA through 14 starts.

However, Heaney then surrendered seven runs in back-to-back outings. His struggles didn’t stop there, as the 34-year-old allowed 14 runs in 14 July innings and a .387/.457/.677 opposing slash line in August.

The Pirates removed Heaney from the starting rotation after he yielded six runs (five earned) to the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 11. A bullpen role didn’t fix those woes; he coughed up five runs over 2/3 innings in his final appearance with Pittsburgh last Monday.

Meanwhile, the Pirates have received promising results since moving Johan Oviedo and rookie Braxton Ashcraft into the rotation. Bubba Chandler recently debuted as a bulk reliever and remains an option to start games in September.

The Dodgers know better than anyone that there’s no such thing as having too much pitching. Injuries have decimated their staff all year, so a stacked roster holds a narrow two-game lead over the San Diego Padres atop the National League West.

Heaney, who spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and played for the Dodgers in 2022, may not factor immediately into his new team’s plans with Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani all healthy. Yet he offers depth and playoff experience, having won the 2023 World Series with the Texas Rangers.

More MLB: Pirates Designate Struggling Veteran For Assignment