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The New York Yankees haven’t missed a step on offense, even after losing one of the best hitters in baseball.
After Juan Soto defected for a historic contract from the New York Mets, the Yankees responded by adding Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. Those additions, along with a Herculean start by Aaron Judge and breakouts from youngsters like Ben Rice, have put the Yankees at the top of several offensive categories so far this season.
The pitching staff, though, has been a bit of a different story.
Outside of Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, the Yankees are having a hard time putting together solid starts. Gerrit Cole will be out for the entire season and into next after getting Tommy John surgery and it’s an open question how Luis Gil will look when he makes his 2025 debut.
As a result, the Yankees could be looking for an external boost at the trade deadline. And Jomboy Media’s Justin Penik, when asked to predict a trade deadline acquisition for the Yankees, went with a breakout star from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“Give me a good pitcher on the Pirates,” Penik said, suggesting the team would be looking to deal a starter not named Paul Skenes as it continues to build toward the future.
When his “Talkin’ Yanks” colleague Jake Storiale suggested Andrew Heaney, Penik agreed the trade idea made sense, noting that Heaney’s played for the Yankees before.
“Former Yankee,” he said. “Alright, sure, reunion.”
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The prediction was off the cuff, but it could make sense depending on how the next few weeks shake out. Heaney is earning $5.2 million this year before heading into free agency, so the Pirates likely see him as a trade chip with a chance to bring in some more controllable talent for the future. After firing manager Derek Shelton in a surprising early move, the Pirates are likely to regroup as an organization and sell what they can at the trade deadline.
And Heaney’s enjoying a breakout 3.18 ERA season with 34 strikeouts in seven starts so far, suggesting he could offer a big boost for a playoff bound team.
Heaney pitched for the Yankees for part of the 2021 season, logging a 7.32 ERA in 35.2 innings with the team. But now that he’s figured some things out, the Yankees might want to reunite.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)