Could Yankees Really Reunite With Former Trade Deadline Flop This Year?

What the New York Yankees have done to date this season has been impressive.

After suffering tons of injuries to key players during spring training, there was some thought that they would not be able to follow up what they did last year based on the talent that was no longer on their roster.

However, despite some bumps along the way, the Yankees are entering their contest on Sunday with a 22-17 record -- the fifth-best in the American League -- and a lead in their division.

That should only improve once it gets later into the season.

While Gerrit Cole won't be returning since he underwent Tommy John surgery, Luis Gil should be back during the summer, DJ LeMahieu is getting closer to his return, the bullpen should start to get better and even Giancarlo Stanton could be activated at some point.

With that in mind, New York can firmly start circling some targets who could become available ahead of the trade deadline.

Fans are already doing that, and Talkin' Yanks had some early predictions about who might be acquired.

Andrew Heaney was a name that was floated, a polarizing player for the fan base.

In 2021, he was a deadline acquisition from the Los Angeles Angels during that campaign with the expectation that he would bolster the starting rotation despite not having eye-popping numbers.

Unfortunately, the left-hander was worse than expected.

Heaney posted a 6.23 ERA in five starts, prompting the Yankees to move him into the bullpen for the rest of the season where he subsequently finished with an ERA of 7.32.

New York designated him for assignment prior to their Wild Card game, and he decided to become a free agent when he rejected his outright assignment after he cleared waivers.

Since that point, Heaney has been solid.

In 89 regular season outings, with 80 of them being starts, he's recorded a 3.92 ERA in 419 2/3 innings pitched, looking much more like the former ninth overall selection he was in the 2012 draft.

While the left-hander was a flop during his first stint with the Yankees, he could be a weapon for them this time around.

Through seven starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, he's posted a 3.18 ERA and 136 ERA+ with a WHIP of 1.11, the best numbers of his career if he can keep up this pace.

Heaney could be an option for New York when that time comes.

The front office will likely want to see if he can continue to pitch at this level before they have to make a decision on acquiring him or not, but adding someone like the veteran southpaw who can start games and come on in relief would be a major plus for this pitching staff.

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