Baltimore Orioles Among Suitors for Ex-New York Yankees Starting Pitcher

The Baltimore Orioles could add the former New York Yankees starter to the middle of their rotation.

Sep 5, 2021; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Andrew Heaney (38) at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Regardless of whether Corbin Burnes returns, the Baltimore Orioles could use another starter. Losing Burnes would likely make them have to be in the mix for two arms this winter.

While they'd be able to find two starters if that were the case, the best outcome would be to find an inning eater as a No. 4 option in the rotation.

There are a few average arms who could come in and at the very least, be a regular season starter.

Among those is Andrew Heaney, who once played for the Orioles rival, the New York Yankees.

Heaney was ran out of town during his time in the Bronx, posting a 7.32 ERA in just 35 2/3 innings pitched.

However, since then, he's been an average starter, which isn't a bad thing for an MLB-caliber arm. Heaney has owned a 4.00 ERA since departing from the Yankees, a respectable number for a pitcher who should be cheap on the open market.

Of course, if Baltimore could find a better arm, that'd be the better decision. He should be one of their last options, but could be one, nonetheless.

Tim Britton of The Athletic likes the Orioles showing interest in him, naming them among the best fits for his services.

"There’s nothing particularly flashy about Heaney, but he’s become a reliable back-end starter who’s good for 150-plus innings. That alone is valuable. Over his past two seasons with the Rangers, he averaged 30 starts and a 4.22 ERA. He strikes out roughly a batter an inning, and his walk rate normalized this past season after spiking in 2023. He’s a lefty, but he hasn’t had extreme left-right splits in recent years. At a time when even the World Series champs had to scramble for arms, Heaney’s value comes not in his top-of-the-rotation dominance, but in his bottom-of-the-rotation dependability."

Britton added his contract prediction, which came in at two-years for $35 million.

$35 million for a starter of Heaney's caliber is about the market price, but there will likely be pitchers in a similar ballpark who might be a better addition.

Heaney has some experience pitching in the postseason, which could be a nice factor for Baltimore. In 2023, he pitched in two World Series games, posting a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings pitched.

He won't come in and be an ace, which the club would need if they lost Burnes, but for $35 million, he wouldn't be a terrible signing.