Blue Jays trade proposal lands $5 million World Series champion pitcher

The Toronto Blue Jays' starting pitching was supposed to be a strength in 2025.

Unfortunately, everyone in the rotation not named Chris Bassitt has underwhelmed so far. Meanwhile, 41-year-old Max Scherzer landed on the injured list after his very first start, leaving the Blue Jays without much rotation depth.

It's still too early to tell if the Blue Jays will buy, sell, or do a bit of both at the July trade deadline. But if they're in the race (entering play Friday, they're back above .500 at 25-24), they'll almost certainly look to upgrade the pitching staff.

To do so, one Blue Jays writer believes Toronto should go after a recent World Series champion left-handed pitcher.

On Friday, Blue Jays Nation's Matthew Spagnuolo named Pittsburgh Pirates lefty Andrew Heaney, a member of the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers, as a prospective trade deadline target for Toronto. 

"If you asked a Blue Jays fan in 2023 if Andrew Heaney was worth acquiring, most fans would say no and not give it a second thought. However, with a World Series ring and some rather solid campaigns after that, the tide has turned on Heaney and what he can do on the mound," Spagnuolo wrote.

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"Through 10 outings with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he has put up a 2.91 ERA and has recorded 42 strikeouts across 55 2/3 innings of work. He sports a 1.132 WHIP and a 4.03 FIP to start the season and has limited the hits to a 6.8 H/9 while seeing a slight increase in his walk rate to the tune of a 3.4 BB/9 with 21 free passes."

Those are awfully solid numbers for a pitcher making only $5.25 million on a one-year contract. And because the Pirates are absolutely horrific, there should be no doubts about Heaney's availability.

While there will certainly be other interested parties, the Blue Jays could get aggressive in going after Heaney if they buy, considering the fact that Bassitt and Bo Bichette are on expiring contracts too.

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