Dodgers-Pirates Trade Idea Sends Starting Pitcher Andrew Heaney to Los Angeles
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At the beginning of the 2025 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation appeared to have the most depth in Major League Baseball.
Now, the National League West club relies on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and others to get the job done until two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow return from the injured list.
Glasnow became the 13th Dodgers pitcher to either start the season on the injured list or need a stint on the shelf. He left Sunday's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates after pitching just one inning and was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation.
The Dodgers' potent offense should keep their winning ways alive while Snell and Glasnow are out, but the front office may also look outside the organization for pitching reinforcements.
Newsweek's Drew VonScio believes former Dodgers pitcher Andrew Heaney should be on Los Angeles's radar. Through six starts, the lefty is performing well in his first season with the Pirates, posting a 2.50 ERA and a 31 to 9 strikeout to walk ratio.
"Despite what Ben Cherington or anyone in the Pirates organization argues, the Pirates are not a contender," VonScio wrote Tuesday. "Heaney won't be on the team when the calendar changes from July to August."
Heaney will be a free agent at the end of 2025, as he signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Pirates in February.
The 12-year veteran made 16 appearances (14 starts) with the Dodgers in 2022, averaging a career-high 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings with a 3.10 ERA in 72.2 innings.
If the Dodgers were to have an interest in a reunion with Heaney, the price tag may not be substantial.
VonScio identified 22-year-old relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez as an ideal return for the Pirates, who is the Dodgers' No. 17 prospect on MLB Pipeline and has thrown 3.1 innings at the MLB level this season.
Henriquez could immediately slot in as a key piece in the Pirates' bullpen this season and for the next several years, as the right-hander is arbitration-eligible in 2028 but does not reach free agency until 2031.
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