The Atlanta Braves opted to pass on several veteran arms in free agency this past offseason-and early results have validated that decision in many cases. But there’s one lefty they may wish they had landed. Andrew Heaney, now with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is pitching like one of the National League’s best starters through the opening month of the season. And according to Just Baseball’s Eric Treuden, the Braves may want to circle back on the veteran southpaw ahead of the trade deadline.<\/p>\n
“Chief among [trade options], at least to this point, is left-hander Andrew Heaney,” Treuden wrote. “He’s on an expiring contract while suiting up for the last-place Pirates. He’s elevated his game in 2025.” The numbers don’t lie. Through five starts, Heaney has posted a 1.72 ERA and an NL-best 0.766 WHIP, while limiting opponents to minimal damage over 31.1 innings. At 34 years old and signed to a modest one-year, $5.25 million deal, Heaney is shaping up to be one of the most attractive rental arms on the market.<\/p>\n
And with Pittsburgh quickly sliding out of contention in the NL Central, the Pirates are expected to shop their top trade chips sooner rather than later. That timeline could play perfectly into Atlanta’s hands.<\/p>\n
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The Atlanta Braves opted to pass on several veteran arms in free agency this past offseason-and early results have validated that decision in many cases. But there’s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n