The Texas Rangers and free agent starting pitcher Andrew Heaney reached an agreement on Tuesday to sign him to a two-year deal. This added strength to the rotation that already included Jacob deGrom was a big boost.
After a physical, Heaney’s two-year contract is worth $25 million but could be increased to $37 million with incentives. After Year 1, there is an option to opt-out.
On a star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers team last season, Heaney, 31, rebuilt his value largely through the development of a slider. Although the left-hander only pitched 72⅔ innings, he struck out a career-high 13.6 batters per nine innings and had a 3.10 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
Last offseason, the Rangers spent $500 million on middle infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. On Friday, they signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract, adding two prominent starting pitchers to a crowded rotation. They will join Jon Gray, Jake Odorizzi, and Martin Perez, who are still around.
In nine seasons, most of which were spent with the Los Angeles Angels, Heaney has a 4.56 earned run average. He has only made 30 starts once, in 2018 for the Angels, when he pitched 180 innings and had a 4.15 earned run average. However, over the past two offseasons, Heaney has attracted a lot of interest from teams who believe they can maximize his potential by changing the way certain pitches are pitched and how they are used.
There was no exception this offseason.
Heaney ultimately agreed to pitch closer to his Oklahoma home for slightly less money, according to a source.
