Pirates sign Andrew Heaney to one-year contract

The Pittsburgh Pirates today signed left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney (pronounced HEE-nee) to a one-year contract for the 2025 season.

The 33-year-old Heaney is one of just four left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball to record 150-plus strikeouts in each of the last two seasons along with Yusei Kikuchi, Framber Valdez and MacKenzie Gore.

¡°We¡¯ve had interest in Andrew each of the last two times he¡¯s been a free agent and we are excited to see him join our rotation,¡± said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. ¡°We believe his track record and pitching style are a strong fit for our team and he strengthens and deepens our pitching staff.¡±

Heaney, who is a two-time nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, is also one of just five left-handed pitchers to throw at least 145.0 innings in each of the last two seasons, along with Valdez, Kikuchi, Patrick Corbin and JP Sears.

Heaney, who spent 2023 and 2024 with Texas, is one of just eight left-handed pitchers to make at least 25 starts in each of the last two seasons, joining Valdez, Kikuchi, Corbin, Gore, Sears, Tyler Anderson and Austin Gomber.

Heaney was selected ninth overall in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft by Miami out of Oklahoma State University. His 2.65 walks per 9.0 innings since making his Major League debut in 2014 is the eighth-lowest mark among Major League lefties (minimum 1000.0 innings) in that span, trailing Clayton Kershaw (1.64), Chris Sale (1.98), David Price (2.12), Madison Bumgarner (2.19), Sean Manaea (2.55), Jon Lester (2.61) and Alex Wood (2.65).

Entering the 2025 season, his 20 career games with 10-plus strikeouts are the sixth-most among left-handed pitchers on an active Major League roster, behind Sale (87), Kershaw (68), Robbie Ray (40), Blake Snell (35) and Carlos Rod¨®n (26).