Report: Blue Jays Have Made Offer to Andrew Heaney
Looking to add at least one starter this offseason, the Blue Jays' pitching options become clearer with every falling domino.
As free agents fall off the board, Toronto has made an offer to lefty Andrew Heaney, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.
The Jays had significant interest in Heaney last offseason before the 31-year-old lefty signed with the Dodgers. In 2022 he posted a 3.10 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 72.2 innings. Heaney made just four starts in the first four months of the season due to shoulder injuries but returned in the back half of 2022 as a critical member of Los Angeles' rotation.
With elite spin rates and swing-and-miss potential, Heaney will draw significant market interest again this winter. Though he's pitched over 130 innings in a season just once, more than 10 teams have expressed recent interest, per Nicholson-Smith.
The free agent pitching market began to move in recent days, with top starters Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander finding new homes in Texas and New York, respectively. The Jays have been linked to Heaney, Japanese starter Kodai Senga, and others, with Toronto GM Ross Atkins indicating the team will add at least one starter. Beyond Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah, and José Berríos, the Jays have no guaranteed spots in the 2023 rotation.
“Starting pitcher is really the only one where I would put a definite on it,” Atkins told reporters last week when discussing needs.
H/T Ben Nicholson-Smith
