The Dodgers brought back old friend Andrew Heaney as pitcher who could potentially be available for them during the postseason, though he’d have to show marked improvement for that to even be a real possibility.
Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic on Monday reported the signing of Heaney to a minor league deal, as did Jon Heyman of the New York Post
. To be eligible for the postseason, players must be in an organization by August 31.Heaney had a 5.39 ERA and 5.66 xERA in 23 games for the Pirates, including
21 starts, with a 16-percent strikeout rate that ranks 79th among the 86 pitchers with at least 120 innings this season. The 34-year-old cratered over the last two and a half months, allowing 45 runs in 42 innings with an even lower strikeout rate of 12.1 percent.
The Pirates moved Heaney to the bullpen three weeks ago, and in his two relief appearances the left-hander allowed six runs while recording four outs. He was released on August 29.
Which is to say a lot would need to happen for Heaney to even be an option for the Dodgers in October.
Heaney had a career-best 35.5-percent strikeout rate with the Dodgers in 2022, when he posted a 3.10 ERA in 16 games, including 14 starts, then parlayed that into a two-year contract with the Rangers.
