Pirates Starting Pitcher a Top Trade Candidate

PITTSBURGH — One Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher may serve as a key trade piece for a National League team competing for the playoffs.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic ranked the top starting pitchers that would get traded and placed Pirates left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Heaney as the fourth best trade candidate before the MLB trade deadline at the end of July.

"Heaney, 34, has a 4.16 ERA over 17 starts. The veteran lefty is a quality back-of-the-rotation inning-eater who could especially help a contending team that’s been dealing with rotation injuries, such as the Mets," Bowden wrote.

Heaney has had a strong season for the Pirates in 2025, despite a 4-7 record in 17 starts. He has a 4.16 ERA over 93.0 innings pitched, 71 strikeouts to 31 walks, a .235 opposing batting average and a 1.20 WHIP.

Two of his more recent starts increased his ERA, allowing seven earned runs each in road defeats tot the Detroit Tigers, 9-2 in the first game of a doubleheader at Comerica Park on June 19, and vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-3 at American Family Field on June 24.

Heaney dominated in his most recent start, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowing just three hits, a walk and no runs in the 7-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on June 30.

He had a great start to the season, with a 1.72 ERA in his first five starts. This included posting a season-high 10 strikeouts over seven innings vs. the New York Yankees at PNC Park on April 6 in a 5-4 win in extra innings.

It also features back-to-back shutouts, 1-0 over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 17 and 3-0 against the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium on April 23. Heaney allowed five hits, two walks and posted four strikeouts over a season-high 7.1 innings vs. the Nationals and allowed just one hits vs. the Angels, with nine strikeouts.

The 34-year old veteran southpaw signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Pirates this offseason and won the 2023 World Series with the Texas Rangers.

Many teams competing for a playoff spot will want a veteran like Heaney, who would bolster their starting rotation heading into the postseason.

Pittsburgh has traded valuable left-handed pitchers at the deadline before, including Tyler Anderson in 2021, José Quintana in 2022, Rich Hill in 2023 and Martín Perez in 2024.

Heaney looks likely that he'll join them, as the Pirates have a 38-52 record, 15.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in first place in the National League and 10.0 games out of a Wild Card spot.