As the Pittsburgh Pirates once again spend August focusing on the future, it’s certain that future won’t include starter Andrew Heaney. The 34-year-old left-hander signed a one-year contract to play for Pittsburgh last February. After Wednesday’s start against the San Francisco Giants, he’s 5-9 with a 4.77 ERA, 5.33 FIP, and 1.270 WHIP. He’s struck out 16.4 percent of batters faced. That’s his lowest total since his rookie year in 2014.
Pirates Face Decision on Andrew Heaney
It seemed certain that Heaney would be dealt by the recent trade deadline. However, except for rumored interest from the New York Yankees, the rumor mill was devoid of any buzz about him. In the end, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington failed to trade Heaney and two others on expiring contracts, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and outfielder Tommy Pham.
Cherington passed it off as part of a grand plan to keep the trio around to continue to lead the younger players. He may be just saving face. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on Kiner-Falefa, who didn’t want to be traded and is interested in signing an extension. Nevertheless, keeping Heaney and Pham made little sense. Perhaps Cherington tried and failed to trade them. In any event, to their credit, the three addressed the team and conveyed that they’re invested and there to help. It was a classy move. This writer was particularly surprised by Pham, who last season asked the St. Louis Cardinals to release him in August so he could latch on with a contender.
The Question on Heaney
The younger Pirates are glad to have the three veterans available to answer questions. (What questions they have that can’t be answered by Andrew McCutchen or Mitch Keller is another story.) The question on Heaney, however, is how long the Pirates can keep him when he’s not giving them a chance to win, particularly with a wealth of pitching prospects awaiting a promotion in the minors?
At the start of the season, Heaney made Cherington look like a genius for bringing him on. On May 21, he was 3-3 with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.132 WHIP, although his 4.06 FIP indicated that a regression to the mean was forthcoming. Heaney delivered a few more quality starts before his season started to unravel. Since June 19, he’s 2-4 with a 7.85 ERA, 7.17 FIP, and 1.609 WHIP. In his last nine starts, he’s managed to pitch just 36 2/3 innings, giving up an astonishing 11 home runs. He made it as far as the seventh inning only once in that stretch. The Pirates are 2-7 in those games.
What To Do
The Pirates could move on from Heaney and designate him for assignment. They did that very thing with two other pending free agents last season. Alternatively, if his presence is truly as valuable as purported, Heaney could be moved to the bullpen, where Ryan Borucki is presently the lone left-hander. That wouldn’t be new to Heaney, who’s made 19 relief appearances in his career. Since the three-batter minimum rule came into effect, left-handers who can get right-handed batters out are an invaluable asset. Like most left-handed starters, Heaney is better against right-handed hitters. He’s held them to a .239 average this season.
Removing Heaney from the rotation would leave two vacancies there, with the Pirates having optioned out Johan Oviedo on Tuesday. Then again, in the immortal words of Miles Davis, so what? The Pirates have an abundance of hot prospect pitchers who fans are anxious to see.
Prospects Galore
Leading the way is their No. 2 prospect, Bubba Chandler, 22, a right-hander whose fastball has touched 99 mph. Going into his scheduled Friday night start against Omaha, at Triple-A Indianapolis, Chandler is 5-4 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.392 WHIP. He’s struck out 28.0 percent of batters faced. He’s also walked 11.4 percent. That latter figure is unacceptably high, and his last four starts have been rough. In those games, he’s given up 15 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings. Still, the Pirates are going nowhere in 2025. It can’t hurt to give their top prospect pitcher a taste of the majors if they hope to rely on him in 2026.
Bubba Chandler isn’t holding back.
“I’ve been ready.”
100+ innings a year and still waiting for the call. Should he be in on the Pirates roster now?(Via @_NoahHiles)
https://t.co/5sRFF5q4QC pic.twitter.com/Y1snWxd0nW
— 𝐍𝐒𝟗 (@NorthShoreNine) August 8, 2025
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The No. 3 prospect, left-hander Hunter Barco, 24, began the season at Double-A Altoona. After six starts during which he gave up no runs, he had nothing more to prove there and was promoted to Indianapolis. There, he’s 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.362 WHIP, a 26.1 percent strikeout rate, and a too-high 13.9 percent walk rate. He may not be ready yet, and indeed, his projected arrival date is 2027. Just the same, a bit of exposure to the bright lights can’t hurt.
The Rookies
Giving another chance to No. 5 prospect Tom Harrington isn’t the worst idea in the world, despite his failing in the majors in two brief trials this season. In three games with the Pirates, the right-hander has given up 15 earned runs on 18 hits in 8 2/3 innings. However, two of those games were relief appearances, a role for which his arsenal is not suited (although he earned a save). He’s been roughed up at Indy, too, where he’s 7-8 with a 5.48 ERA and 1.351 WHIP. Even so, if the Pirates believe in him, it may be worth giving him another shot while making it clear that he doesn’t have to worry about getting sent back to Triple-A after one bad outing.
Finally, there’s right-hander Braxton Ashcraft. He was the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect when they called him up in May. He’s hung around long enough that he’s no longer on the prospect list. The fearless 25-year-old rookie has pitched well out of the bullpen for the Pirates. He’s 3-2 with a 3.24 ERA, 2.90 FIP, and 1.380 WHIP. He was a starter in the minors, including 10 starts at Indy before his promotion. He and Heaney could switch roles, plugging a one-time prospect into the Pirates’ rotation without the need for a roster move.
The Last Word
Cherington has a plan for the future. It’s just that nobody can figure out what it is. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t involve giving the ball to an ineffective 34-year-old every fifth day.
Main Photo Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
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