Andrew Heaney is headed back to Southern California, as the Dodgers announced on Wednesday that they’d signed the southpaw to a one-year contract that’ll reportedly pay him $8.5MM. Heaney is a client of Icon Sports Management.
It’s the first major significant free agent strike of the offseason, as Heaney checked in 50th on MLBTR’s just-released free agent rankings. His reported contract terms land a couple million dollars north of MLBTR’s projected $6MM guarantee. The southpaw split the 2021 campaign between the Angels and the Yankees, who acquired him at the trade deadline for a pair of pitching prospects.
The past few seasons haven’t been smooth for Heaney, as he’s posted an ERA of 4.46 or higher every year since 2018. The 2021 campaign was especially challenging, as the 30-year-old managed just a 5.83 ERA over 129 2/3 frames. He struggled at both stops, posting a 5.27 mark in Orange County and putting up a ghastly 7.32 figure in pinstripes. Those issues in the Bronx became significant enough for the Yankees to transition him into a bullpen role and eventually outright him off the 40-man roster just before the end of the season.
Needless to say, Heaney hasn’t gotten the results he or his teams have desired in recent seasons. His poor run prevention totals are essentially attributable to what happens after batters make contact, though. Heaney fanned 26.9% of opposing hitters this past season, a mark that checks in more than four percentage points above the league average for starters. (His strikeout rate during his time as a starting pitcher was an even more impressive 27.5%). That was supported by a 12.5% swinging strike rate that’s more than a tick above average, while his 7.3% walk percentage was very slightly lower than the league mark. It’s no surprise, then, that Heaney put up a 3.84 SIERA that’s nearly two full runs lower than his ERA.
That kind of line is nothing new for Heaney, who has managed strikeout and walk numbers befitting a mid-rotation arm for the past few seasons. In each of the last four years, his SIERA has hovered between 3.74 and 4.08. Given that SIERA has proven more predictive of a pitcher’s future ERA than even past ERA itself, it’s easy to see why the Dodgers are willing to roll the dice in hopes of forthcoming positive regression. They’re not alone in their optimism, as Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays that Heaney drew interest from twelve-plus teams during his extremely brief stay on the open market.
That said, the Dodgers aren’t acting without risk. Heaney’s bottom line ERA has exceeded his SIERA in each of the past four campaigns, largely due to consistent issues keeping the ball in the yard. Heaney has allowed home runs at a higher-than-average clip in three of the past four years, and he was among the game’s most homer-prone arms this past season. The former first-round pick allowed 2.01 HR per nine innings in 2021, a rate eclipsed by just five other hurlers (minimum 100 IP). That’s an untenable mark no matter how good a pitcher’s strikeout and walk rates are, so Heaney and the Dodgers’ coaching staff will have to formulate a plan to better avoid the longball in 2022.
While Heaney finished this year in the Yankees’ bullpen, he seems likely to get a crack in the Los Angeles rotation to open next season. Jason Martinez of Roster Resource projects he’ll be joined by Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urías and David Price at the moment, and there’s certainly the possibility for future additions. Heaney’s reported deal pushes the Dodgers’ projected payroll to $206MM, about $40MM shy of the figure the club carried into 2021, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Should they desire, the Dodgers likely still have the resources to pursue a reunion with star free agents Max Scherzer and/or Clayton Kershaw.
As for Heaney, he returns to an area of the country in which he’s spent most of the past seven years. It’ll technically be his second stint as a Dodger, as Heaney was a member of the organization for a few hours between trades during the 2014 Winter Meetings (a tenure highlighted by a tongue-in-cheek tweet thanking the club for their “good run” together). If his results converge with his more promising underlying numbers in 2022, he’d hit next offseason’s free agent market with a good chance at landing a much stronger multi-year deal. In the intervening season, he’ll try to help the Dodgers to their tenth straight playoff appearance and third consecutive trip to the NL Championship Series.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported that Heaney and the Dodgers were in agreement on a one-year deal worth north of $8MM. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Heaney’s salary at $8.5MM.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
HEANDOG
Why on earth would anyone want to pay him $8.5M for one year? This is a bad signing. Reminiscent of the Braves jumping the gun early last offseason and paying Drew Smyly $11M. It was ill advised then and only got worse. It almost seems like players demand more money than they are worth from the Dodgers just because they know they have it.
The Dodgers think they see something they can fix, obviously, and I wouldn’t bet against them. The price suggests other teams do, too.
Flush that money down the toilet. Back to where it all started for Heaney
@seamaholic 2: I agree with every part of your statement other than the last part about betting against them. That’s why I brought up Drew Smyly. A lot of people said the exact same thing about the Braves when they struck early to overpay for Smyly. Betting against them for that was the right thing to do. This move looks very similar to me. Smyly was actually coming off a better season than Heaney and the deal still went bad. These move are so similar. Everyone keeps pointing to Heaney’s peripherals and they did the same with Smyly. In Smyly’s case they kept pointing to his ability to strike guys out while allowing very few walks. They also pointed to Smyly’s miniscule 2.01 FIP. None of that ended up mattering at all and Smyly was still disappointing and overpaid. When a team jumps early to overpay a pitcher who isn’t even ranked in the top 49 FA it’s usually because they are making a mistake. Betting against the Dodgers on this particular decision is the smart thing to do. Even the Dodgers make bad free agent signings every year and this one has all the symptoms of one that falls into that category. At least we all now know to predict Heaney to sign with the Dodgers for the free agent contest. That also reminds me of Smyly. He was the first top 50 free agent to sign last offseason. It’s funny how many similarities those 2 deals have with one another.
This is an interesting move. Heaney’s peripherals are actually pretty good and, he does look like a genuinely good pitcher often enough–that is, until everything he throws winds up over the wall. If anyone can fix Heaney’s tendency to give up ungodly number of HR’s, more power to them.
I looked at statcast stuff today blind on who it was and said 8 mil… so I get a cookie for being close?
What, move the outfield fences back 100 feet. LOL
A dozen teams, at least, disagree with you….
A lot of folks felt the same way when the Jays signed Ray to an 8mil one year deal this year coming off a 6.62 ERA.
gomer33, I was the first person in these comment sections to say the Jays were dumb for giving $8M to Ray. Pass the crow, please. With plenty of sugar to make it go down easier.
It was the same kind of signing, the second free agency began. That kind of says others were taking a good sniff.
That was 2020, and is virtually irrelevant. However, his other years have to be a concern. You can’ fix stupid. Would have been nice to know his numbers against lefties. But then I am on my second beer, and Herradera tequila shot watching the sun go down over the Pacific.
Laughing no comparison to Ray and Andrew Heaney
Put on the Texican and have a shot with Audie……
Nobody demands more from the Dodgers. Alex Wood, Jimmy Nelson, and Tommy Kahnle all took bargain-basement deals with the Dodgers so they could re-hab with an organization that knows what it’s doing. Kahnle collected $750K this season and will get $3.45M in 2022 when he’s active.
The Dodgers led MLB in ERA in 2021 and are typically near or at the top. They know about pitching and surely have plenty of info on Heaney. I was thinking this might happen and am happy it did.
Heaney was traded by the Angels last summer for Junk. You can’t make this stuff up.
Heaney has had “good peripherals” for years but can’t managed to pitch well enough in actual games.. only good thing about this deal is that its for one year. He won’t be any better in Dodger Stadium than he was at Angels or Yankees stadium…
He wasn’t worth a bucket of spit
And is Heaney is Heaney again are the Dodgers idiots?
@ Blue Skies Because the Angels have such a great track record when it comes to developing pitchers? Dodgers have certainly shown that they can get something from a guy that other teams couldnt tap. Doesnt mean they turn him into an ace, but it wouldnt surprise me that much if they do.
He’s been with three teams now and shown himself to be a bottom of the rotation starter on a good day. He deserves such modest expectations. I suspect he was signed to keep the seat warm until May comes back. The real hole to fill is at the top of the rotation. Heaney isn’t going there, that’s for sure.
Giants paid Gausman 10 million off a similar season. These are gambles, simple as that.
Kg had already had previously good seasons with upside, heany not so much
A Mets fan being entirely clueless about a high ceiling reliever who can act as rotation depth at $8M? Wow maybe learn to read the market sometime and not read much into small samples. Heaney has a high end arm, the Dodgers can bank on unlocking it. Mets only know how to ruin arms. Cant relate.
@A’sfaninUK
I’m struck by the amount of crow you should prepare for dinner. You have Heaney’s career entirely backwards. If ever someone shouldn’t read into small sample sizes – it’s you. Heaney has pitched 14.1 innings in relief…in his career. High ceiling reliever……….? Dinner’s served.
Drew Smyily had a solid year for what was a bad SP market that season.
To be fair, virtually everyone said the same thing about the Jays signing Robbie Ray for $8M at the onset of free agency last year, and look how that turned out…
Fair enough C-Daddy but looks like Robbie Ray has a higher K/9 and H/9, and also much lower HR/9. Heaney seems like a gopher baller with better control compared to Ray. Also Heaney has never had a breakthrough season. Has only really pitched one full season as a starter. So, if you’re going to compare the two it seems like we’re dealing with someone with enough history in regards to sample size and not much success. It’s one thing to scoop up a Chris Taylor for nothing or minor league contracts for a Justin Turner or Max Muncy but $8.5 million?
Pretty hefty gamble by the Dodgers. I think Friedman sees Zaidi having some success with these semi-washed up pitchers and wants to play the same game. Heaney is out there for sure so let’s see how this works out. More out of the box, we’re the smartest guys in the room, thinking from front office.
Heaney to Smyly is a good comparison as both can make batters miss better than average pitcher, but both struggle keeping runs off the board.
There’s teams that believe they can fix that issue and apparently dodgers think they can.
Other teams pursuing obviously upped the money.
It’s getting sad that the Dodgers obviously don’t care about how much they spend…the Tax threshold doesn’t bother them and IMO it needs to be addressed…this is worse than the Yankees back in the day
@ Cards81 . Dodgers 2022 payroll, even with the Heaney deal, is less than 175M. LOTS of money off the books after the season. Still deals to be made, but you are VERY premature in your denunciation.
150 k’s in 129 2/3 innings is why on earth they signed him. The talent is in there.
Dodgers know what they are doing
They forgot Urias in rotation
I believe this is a lower budget replacement deal for Dustin May. One year to prove it until May comes back and takes back his spot. Also doesn’t tie up money long term so we can use cash to fill in other holes.
so this is Kershaw replacement
Because once you have Buehler, Urias, and Heaney in the rotation, you’re set?
Scherzer is a free agent and Bauer isn’t pitching for the Dodgers next year. But sure, HeS a LeFtY makes him Kershaw’s replacement.
No
Bauer’s replacement more likely.
Yuck
Why?
8mill for the guy that just got DFA’d and led the league in HRs. Somehow he’s gonna prove me wrong.
Martin Perez is sitting at home after having his option declined by the Red Sox reading this and thinking “CHA-CHING!!!”
Sox like to overpay for pitchers too.
Reminds me of the 1980s Oakland A’s thought their pitching coach could make any washed up starter great. It did work for Dave Stewart but for Eric Show no so much. Seems like the same kind of mistake the Dodgers are making.
Poor Eric Show. He was a very interesting guy to read about, then and now. A pretty good pitcher who just wasn’t understood by a lot of people and was criticized and shunned because of it, and then sadly ended up dead before the age of 40. And as I wrote this I realized that the same description of Show applied to his one-time teammate Alan Wiggins. But I digress…
The real winner here is his agent.
Well that was fast!
In another thread i commented about the possibility of the Dodgers signing Heaney as “just what the Dodgers need, another starter that can’t stay healthy”. Apparently i was right, the Dodgers really do think thats what they need…
And a pitcher who can’t pitch. I understand the Dodgers need more rotation depth, but this is very, very deep diving.
And just like that, we’re all 0-1.
WHAAAAAA
No need to sign Kershaw now.
I think his going to be the david price replacement and I think in about a week or two dodgers send price and white to the angles or a team like that.
Sure we will take Price and send you Upton.
There’s a chance Price doesn’t return in 2022. People will say $32M is a lot to leave on the table, but he isn’t wired like most jocks,
Unexpected to say the least and at 2 M for than MLBTR guessed this morning. One down 49 to go
Lol terrible
Didn’t someone say that “dodgers were going to sign Heaney “.
UGH!
oye, already editing my picks
I’ll get that one in the pool.
I’m curious to see how well this guy pitches when he pitches for people who understand pitching.
My first stat league buy low candidate.
I would say the big ballpark after Yankee Stadium could be a game changer, but its not like Anaheim is a band box, and he was not good there, either. Still, he’s young enough to have upside.
Anaheim is a pretty easy park to hit a HR. But that not what I was thinking, Heaney doesn’t know how to pitch, he’s got the stuff.
I asked you for your take on him when the Yanks traded for him, @Halo. You said he would throw a nice game & then give up a bunch of jacks in his others.
Well, that is exactly what I saw.
He had one excellent start & the rest of his outings he watched guys run around the bases.
All joking (& frustration) aside, this is not all that surprising. I see why Cash traded for him & LAD signed him. It’s what he showed in a start for us. Starting pitching is still the most precious MLB resource. Hence why Heaney wasn’t unemployed very long.
Good points.
Blake had a great first year as a pitching coach. He got a lot out of his pitchers. But when you get a pitcher (or position payer) near the trade deadline, not much a pitching coach can do. The player is what he is.
Heaney pitched all those years in SoCal so he’s going back to the area – although if he’s been living in Orange County the commute can be problem.
Some teams are very good at reworking veteran pitchers and getting a lot out of them. The Dodgers are one of them. There are no guarantees.
We’re all 0-1
Thought he’d go overseas.
had a feeling on the Cubs
Umm, no, I haven’t picked yet. So, I’m 1-1
Green acres is the place to be
Farm livin’ is the life for me
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside…
They would have been better off signing Arnold the pig.
Lmao
Trade deadline next year, the Mariners trade JP Crawford to the Dodgers for Heaney.
I need to loosen up. I could get that.
I can’t understand this one. Now, if Heaney had to pay the Dodgers $8.5 million to pitch, that might make more sense.
Hahahaha lol. Hilarious. Would make more sense though, definitely! Lol
He was so hard to watch pitching for the Yankees last year.
If this stint last longer than a hour it will be longer than the first time he was acquired from the Dodgers
Gah! Beat me to it.
Yeah, likewise.
Who else remembers that the dude was a Dodger for 5 hours on December 10, 2014 and posted a funny tweet thanking the Dodgers for their time together after being traded to Anaheim?
I had forgotten all about that, nice.
They’ll need 8-10 starters for next year and they all can’t earn 15-20 million, so ok.
Heaney is going to end up in their bullpen. Wouldn’t $8M for Joe Kelly make much more sense than $8.5 for Heaney? They overpaid Heaney by at least $4M. After that Bauer contract and now this one, some of the shine is coming off of the ‘genius’ Andrew Friedman. This really makes no sense as this price point.
Heaney will most likely be used out the bullpen then only starting in case of injury, Kelly can’t start.
Also maybe Kelly will be next? Weird youd act like one means the other is no.
You forgot about the rush to sign Cole Hammels, too. Paid off handsomely.
Considering their swing man last year was David Price, I doubt Heaney gets many starts in LA
This is fantastic news and I could not possibly be happier about the signing. I think Heandawg is a perfect fit and will help the Dodgers accomplish all the goals I’ve set for them.
Oh, also I should point out I hate the Dodgers and am rooting against them.
I was hoping that was your punchline. Well done, sir.
That’s a lot of money for a guy who had an era of over 5.00
Who got dinged by homers, the things that were up all over the league.
Why arent fans like you adjusting to the homer explosion and understanding it effects pitchers in certain ways. Heaney will be more than worth this mere $8M deal.
Not who I would’ve guessed would sign first. Freebie in the contest!
Wow! Thanks for setting the bar obnoxiously high for less than mediocre talent
This is like going to look at cars and before even meeting the salesman, offering more than the asking price. Inevitably, this will break down on the drive home too. I mean, $8.5MM for a sure fire 7 ERA guy?
I get it that he was the first free agent to sign from the list. But technically, it’s not the first free agent strike. Since the Reds placed him on waivers, wasn’t Wade Miley a free agent when the Cubs signed him? Otherwise they would have had to make a trade. And, not only did he cost a bit more ($10M), but he’s a more accomplished pitcher by far also.
No they claimed him
Right. off waivers. but was it irrevocable waiver? cuz if so, that makes him a FA, does it not?
No it does not. He would have needed to clear waivers before becoming a true free agent.
Wow … the worst pitcher in baseball. What an awful way to set the market for starting pitchers, and free agents overall. 8.5 million for Heaney? That’s greatly expensive .. Pitchers will be getting paid hugely this offseason judging by this deal. Awful.
You just exposed you dont know anything about baseball. Hating players getting paid is “Awful”, people like you shouldnt be allowed to be baseball fans. Grow up.
Says the idiot, who condones 8.5 million to the worst pitcher in baseball. It is awful, and you should probably tune into golf. May float your boat better
I mean, he’s allowed an opinion just like you. Doesn’t make his right or wrong.
Yeah, and I’m allowed a few insults, since he wanted to insult first. Common sense.
Less Money the owners get or get to keep is all good for me ! The owners not the players are irrelevant and replaceable by peers ! You find a arte Moreno in Los angles much more easier then a trout or ohtani ! More money to the players less money to the owners please
Mario93 was right. Will drive up prices for poor and average pitchers. Nothing new just how it happens.
That’s a good thing ! Players deserve at minimum 50 % of the revenue maybe more bc they are more important! If this helps drive up the price of the mlb Minium that’s a great thing
Over-reaction to claim “hate” for simply criticizing a signing, but that seem,s to be the current trend. It’s a wonder you dsidn’t claim “racism” as well.
Oh the signing sucks he probably will suck but good for him getting every last dollar available to him ! I’m all for whatever he signed become the new league minimum! No to a salary cap ( never accept one ) and no ( Always the right answer ) to take it or leave it offers by management and extension owners !
Never got the resentment of people towards players ( who they have nothing in common with ) wanting their share of the pie in favor of owners ( who they have even less in common with and are irrelevant really to the game ). , it’s just stupid
Stick to cricket and David Beckham commercials.
I’m actually from astoria queens! And eff them owners ! Replace them with the next billionaire in their neighborhood and nobody would tell the difference! Less money for the owners please
See here in the states, some of us are offended by $7 hotdogs.
We realize, where you live, that’s a deal and you would pay more just to not eat the stuff they call food over there….here….
we’re offended.
Of course, you can always take the tube to France and eat some horse if you get that tired of what you call food over there……
I don’t get this love at all for the Dodgers. There was high hope for this guy, lot of potential but he’s not lived up to it. He’s not been very good at all
*this move for the Dodgers
Wanted this guy for the Phillies. Oh well
Then be thankful.
As i am too perplexed with this signing i refuse to second guess Friedman. As every time i do the signing usually works. So i am hoping they see something that they can fix with him. Time will tell.
You dare to question The Friedman?
The. Man. Of. Fried.
Actually a decent “buy low” pickup. His xFIP of 4.12 was right in line with his career average. His xERA was 4.01.
Velocity is still solid and he’s only 30 years old.
Yes he gave up too many home runs due to a higher FB%, but I’m thinking the Dodgers may have a plan to mitigate that.
If they can, they have a solid mid-rotation starter.
Or they will have next David Price, or Jimmie Nelson, or….
You know Corbin Burnes a couple years ago gave up a lot of homeruns too. I’m just saying.
A “decent buy low pickup”? $8.5M! What have we come to?
Yes, $8.5 is NOTHING to a billionaire, do you not understand how inflation works??
“Inflation”? You need to dust off your old ECON 101 books that you never read, and yes, $8.5 Million is indeed something to a billionaire, as $500 bucks probably is to you.
What billionaire ever told you that?
Johnny: The problem is that teams have been saying that about him since he arrived; “If we can just adjust a little bit….” Then after his fifth homerun in six innings, they throw their hands up.
He’s not worth 8.5MM. Guarantee there are guys in the minors who cost much less that can provide 7.00 ERA ball. He’s simply terrible.
Dodgers must see something we don’t. Yes he has flashes of good stuff but he’s so inconsistent.
Watch LA unlock something.
Checking my calendar to see if it’s April 1st…..
The overreactions happen here with every transaction, including minor league depth moves. At some point, you figure fans will learn how the game works, but many never do. It’s actually quite humorous.
I wish this was a minor league depth move.
Heaney has talent. Why be one of those people who trashes an athlete who has gone through a difficult time both on and off the field? That kind of stuff nauseates me. It’s the dark side of what sports teaches us: bullying people who work harder than we do.
Quite an overreaction there my friend. It isn’t trashing Heaney to point out that his modestly positive peripheral stats have never translated into better than mediocre results. It also isn’t trashing him to point out that a major league contract is not a depth move. Honestly I’m not clear on where you’re coming from on this.
Read some of the comments. These people have already branded Heaney’s 2022 season a failure in November. We see it every winter. No one put a gun to anyone’s head to sign Heaney. The people who made that decision know quite a bit more about the decision than anyone on here.
I have. A lot of the usual trollish comments, but you were responding to me I believe. I’m sure no guns to heads were involved but in looking at this signing some of us are wondering, if Heaney was the answer, what was the question. And yes, I do expect more moves, but I still wonder where Heaney fits into this rotation.
Are you really a sports fan or just a wandering SJW who needs a forum?
Literally ALL professional athletes have talent; that’s not the issue, which is regarding something to which everyone has equal access and validity: predicting a performance and it’s value to the organization based on cost/benefit. It’s the essense of professional sports and for that matter, a market economy.
“…. I still wonder where Heaney fits into this rotation.”
@ BlueSkies_LA;
Maybe he doesn’t.
The way to manage a baseball game is changing. Heaney may well fit as a 2-5 inning pitcher that may start a game or could come in at any other point in it.
Have a look at what the Rays have been doing with pitchers the past few years.
@Samuel. Maybe they will use him as a bulk pitcher but although they were forced into it by all the pitching injuries, I don’t see the Dodgers buying into the opener approach in the way the Rays have. I believe they are still trying to put together a conventional rotation.
@ BlueSkies_LA;
They sure had a number of bullpen games late in the season and in the playoffs.
Because they didn’t have any other choice.
@ceyhey
Unlike the people who make decisions like this, and know more, I won’t get fired for my opinion of how valuable Heaney is. I may not know more, but I sure know better!
Cey Hey, your name indicates you’re a Penguin fan and more than likely a Dodger fan (or Cubs). Something tells me you’re not an Angel fan who watched every single one of Heaney’s starts as I did (not an exaggeration).
We fans followed Heaney through his stem cell therapy that eventually led to Tommy John surgery.
We followed him through the Tyler Skaggs tragedy where he poured his heart out about his best friend.
We also watched a terribly inconsistent pitcher over the years get pummeled by the third inning only to see him get traded to and then DFA’d by the Yankees. He had a 7.32 ERA and the even moved him to the bullpen to straighten him out.
He made $6.75M this year, $4.3M last year and as recently as 2018 was paid $800K. To say the Dodgers signing him in early November, before the winter meetings and before the CBA for $8.5M raised some eyebrows is an understatement. Obviously they see something that the other teams didn’t.
So there are plenty of knowledgeable baseball minds on here who, believe it or not, may not agree that signing Andrew Heaney for $8.5M for one year was a good move.
I feel so sorry for dodger fans. This guy is an absolute disaster to watch. Anaheim fans will tell you the same thing I’m sure. Paying almost 9 mill for certain failure
As a Dodger fan, I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me. I was half-expecting this to happen and am not unhappy it did. Why are some people so anxious to predict professional athletes will fail? These guys work hard at what they do. I would venture to say harder than you or I. Isn’t it better to wish them luck and hope they succeed?
I go through fan graphs data and spot pitchers who should be pitching better. I spotted Gausman and was ridiculed. Like Gausman, Heaney is a pitcher whose stuff doesn’t sync with his results. Heaney is betting on himself. This is a good bet by LA.
Halo11Fan, Obviously you would be aware of the duress Heaney must have felt with Skaggs’ death. I cannot imagine what he went through. but it’s understandable if it affected his performance/development. I guess that makes it a bit eerie that he’s returning to the area. Then again, it’s not as if the Dodgers are signing him out of the blue. You can bet there have been countless conversations leading up to this, both with Heaney and those who know him well. As human beings, all we can do is root for him to turn the corner. Fans can be so quick to throw athletes in the trash. Thankfully, teams don’t. Remember last winter when Ohtani was “made of glass” Vladdy Jr. was called overweight and lazy? Fans everywhere were calling both guys busts along with Austin Riley and others. Where are those people today? Yep, doing the same thing with a new crop of players who have had a rough go.
Great post!
Been watching this for over half a century. Only the true HOF’s come out of the blocks at breakneck speed, and Willie Mays was one – although he was hitless his first 12 AB’s, then went another 13 before getting a hit. Some fans wanted him sent back to AAA. Durocher supported him. Were there an Internet people all over the country would have been ridiculing the Giants.
I remember the Ohtani haters. Fans are reactionary. Ohtani was bad for one year and people couldn’t wait to throw him under the bus. Now they are doing it with Rendon.
However, Heaney has strived to reach mediocre for the better part of a decade. Eight million is nothing. If he fails, so what. Good gamble.
Mantle was sent back.
Regarding Mays, some people don’t remember, but in the ’60s when the Giants were finishing second five straight years, there was a segment of Giants fans who claimed Mays wasn’t clutch like McCovey, Cepeda, or even Jim Ray Hart. Clemente was booed by Pirates fans who viewed him as a malingerer and malcontent. And we all know about Dick Allen. No Internet back then where those fans could have made those ridiculous claims for the world to see (behind anonymous screen names, of course).
I get that fans get frustrated. Yet at the same time, we need to remember how hard it is to be great or even good as a pro athlete. Yes, they get paid a lot, but only because the money is there. But the money doesn’t make up for how these guys must feel when they slump beneath their own expectations. To me, booing defies logic. A struggling player is the one who most needs our support. Yeah, I know. Human nature.
Halo11Fan, Tell Cody Bellinger the news. My father taught me about the patience of being a fan early on, and I’ll admit it can still be tough. Today, the reactionary stuff is worse than it was then. Four major sports leagues, 124 teams. If every team wins a championship in order, we all have to wait 30 years for the next one. Add in the Internet and an impatient society and we have what we have. That’s why I savored 2020’s World Series win with all my might. Yes, the team is good, but you never know how long you might have to wait. I actually cried, which surprised me. Not for myself, but because I didn’t want the team that has given me so much pleasure to be branded as chokers any longer.
Funny story about that. My tears came as they scored the tying and go-ahead runs in Game six. Tears due to a passed ball and run-scoring grounder to the second baseman. My wife said, “Why are you crying? They haven’t won yet?” But it had been a long 32 years made even longer by a strange year in world history. Once the game ended, I had no tears left to cry.
Btw, the Angels will get there. And should they come close and fall a trad short, pay no mind to the naysayers. Just be thankful for the team you have.
‘Human nature’ for some humans, not all. Note that none of the players you mentioned had white skin while 98% of the fans do. Just good ‘ol American racism, nothing else.
EBJ: Mantle was not white? And 98% of baseball fans are white? Interesting. Those must be facts since you cited them.
I won’t disagree. Some players work hard and “hustle.” Others get by on their “natural ability.” At least, that’s what we’re taught to believe.
I am glad fans called him lazy and overweight. He worked hard, focused kept his weight in check and now is likely to become one of the games’ all-time greats!
Quit insulting Americans with your BS.
@ Cey Hey – I agree with your take and hope Heaney is able to do well for himself. But you have to admit based on his last 2 – 3 seasons, $8.5M is a lot to pay for such average to below average results. I anticipated Heaney getting $3M-$4M in base pay this season, with some incentives to push it up to a maximum of $5M. Friedman & team obviously see something in him well above his actual results. I just question if they could have used this money for someone or something better. I guess we’ll find out next season.
@DM, We’ll see. If Heaney succeeds, he wouldn’t be the first player to defy public perception. As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I was the first one here to condemn the Blue Jays for giving $8M to Robbie Ray. I’ll have to go back and find my original post from last November.
This is bizarre. It’s not like Heaney had a couple of amazing years. He looks amazing for a few innings and then implodes off home runs. I think that’s just who he is as a player. $8.5M!? That’s A LOT of money for a guy like Heaney. Bizarre.
The next time Andrew Heaney finds success in the majors will be his first. Dodgers could have waited until February and gotten him for half that money. Nobody clamoring for his services especially at $8.5M
It was reported here that about a dozen teams were in on him.
OR maybe you are the wrong one when you say “$8.5M!? That’s A LOT of money for a guy like Heaney. Bizarre.” because that’s what the market is, in the year 2021. This is totally fine and kind of a bargain for a 30 year old Heaney. Real analysts can see who he is, stat watchers hate him but stat watchers are dumb, so….
Its so odd how no one ever expects salaries to go up, but the profits go up every year???
Who is paying who ?
Must be a replacement for Kershaw!! What a joke !
The Dodgers know that he is serviceable. The yankees couldn’t have any patience in the middle of the postseason race and likely misused him. He will likely be decent and more like what the yankees thought they were getting when they snagged him.
I watched Heaney and he was misused with us … by being used period
Former Dodger comes back to actually play for them.
This reminds me of the Drew Smyly ink early last year, many thought “what” and were probably ultimately right in the end but he too had some “inner circle buzz”
Probably a lot more buzz in the inner circles about Heaney than the ring of fire we call MLBTR …
Still, posters have every bit the right to be weary……
Dodgers always seem to pay top dollar tho, idk if agents feel they just have it in the bag or something and a team like Det doesn’t but they always pay sticker it seems in free agency….trades they do VERY well…. Im reminded of Pollock’s contract where they seemingly bid against themselves, especially the 5 years part???…That still perplexes me that those year 4/5 were player and not team options (Not to say we’d decline them today)
I wanted a couple more Sp 4 types but 8 mill seems steep… could prolly find 2 guys at 4 mill each but they obv have a hunch here
Wood, Nelson, and Kahnle have all recently taken much less to rehab with the Dodgers. Phil Bickford, Alex Vesia. Max Muncy. Chris Taylor. Justin Turner. Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs (who were later included in trades to land Betts and Scherzer). The list is long. The Dodgers know more about this stuff than anyone on here. No team is better at scouting players in other organizations.
Btw, the Pollock deal was not a bad contract. Solid player who has played at an all-star level since returning from injury at the all-star break in 2019. I don’t get the anti-Pollock faction among Dodger fans. He’s a huge step up from the likes of Puig and, though I liked him as Dodger, Pederson. There are reasons why Puig is not in MLB. Dodger fans who really paid attention back in January know why.
Not talking trades or rehab contracts, I agreed already on trades and scouting in my original post . Only talking about paying sticker in free agency for healthy players
Dave Roberts has sat Pollock 50% of our playoff games the last 3 years while he has been healthy. He has also been pinch hit for in the starts he happens to make . That says something to me and its not 5/65
He’s a glorified (wrong side of) platoon who’es often inj, Now those might command 10 per lke a Joc/Soler mold but not 15 that Pollock got and certainly 100% don’t get 5 guaranteed years in free agency – I highly doubt any team was offering Pollock 5 years guaranteed at the time . I don;t hate Pollock but it turns right into my point we pay sticker in free agency mostly all the time with maybe even a little extra b/c we are flush w cash
And yes Iv’e always been a Puig is vastly over -rated guy in here, I know you have as well
Pollock was blamed for the 2019 playoff loss. Meanwhile, golden boys Bellinger and Seager combined for zero RBI and got a pass. Joc was a platoon guy, not Pollock. Joc has never shown the consistency Pollock has. As for Puig, he is a piece of garbage. It was weird how the front office did right by dumping Puig and wound up with Bauer. Ya know what I’m saying?
* The 5 years is the main overpay
I can get over the AAV if it were a 3 year deal….And I’m sure that’s what his other potential suitors were offering at then time
And it was near the end of free agency too when you’d expect to be able to flex a little extra leverage. Not slamming LAD just think my point stands
Pollock has started 52% of our playoff games the last 3 years
And been pinch hit halfway thru some…I can only call that a platoon really
He’s had bright spots but they never seem to travel to Oct.. I don’t think anybody blames him- 2019 gets more put on Roberts bullpen play and Kelley more than AJ from what I have seen
I did not like the Bauer ink as well….My thoughts are on here what I thought and I thought it was an overreaction to SD at the time
I also said losing Kiki was going to be huge as well tying into your Mojo theme and team players
Always 20/20 hindsight with the Roberts stuff. I’m not saying you’re doing it, just that the people who did it are clueless.
We don’t know why the Bauer signing happened. All I’ll say is if it comes down to Kasten versus Friedman, I hope Kasten is the one who leaves. I’ve never been a Kasten fan. As it is, that signing was out of character for Friedman.
We never know who makes the call on these big contract commitments but the truth is, as far as we are concerned, it doesn’t much matter. Whoever it was probably won’t be held to account. If it was going to happen with the Bauer signing it would have happened already.
Wow. Are there two (2) Penguins or something? Didn’t I just read something about how fans are too quick to berate professional athletes, who work so much harder than us…..
That was vicious.
Now LAD can ship Heaney back to LAA for Luis Rengifo.
Rengifo has more trade value than Heaney
how long till they flip him this time?
Wasn’t Friedman the GM at Tampa when he as traded to the Dodgers and then flipped to the Angels?
Never mind. I was confusing TB with Miami.
Lmao damn, the A’s aren’t going to sign anyone this off-season with this signing indicating where the market is heading.
I guess whoever the rule five guy is will be the star signing of the season
Manaea and Bassitt are goners for sure.
Chappy and Olson….ugh I dont wanna think about it.
Free agents? Maybe whoevers left in March to fill out the roster…ugh.
John Fisher makes all A’s fans miserable with the way he runs the team.
Waste of 8.5 million dollars, better off signing rich hill for a fraction of the price
I picked Heaney to the Dodgers in the free agent contest…Was surprised he was one of the top 50 and surprised again he raked in that kind of money…but someone must know something about this guy, beyond the eye test…
Huh what
Why are all these teams so enamored with Heaney? What’s he ever done?
Have excellent peripherals and evidently mechanical issues that the Dodgers think they can correct
Advanced peripherals are so overrated
Roster Resource and this article are both forgetting about 20 game winner Julio Urias as a part of the rotation mix as he is still under contract and team control.
Man, that one’s on me, not Jason. He has Urías in there. I read Julio Urías and inexplicably typed Dustin May, even though he’ll obviously not be ready for the start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. I have no idea how I made that mistake, but I appreciate you pointing it out. It’s been fixed.
Still a better signing than Trevor Bauer.
Pitching depth and I believe the Dodgers can make some changes. I think going to an NL club can help too.
He’s an analytic darling who’s actual baseball card has as the article said always performed worse than his peripherals. That said with the pending lock out on Dec 1 Heaney was the type of guy who’d sign early and Dodgers can afford to over pay and they need bodies. I doubt Heaney is guaranteed a rotation spot but given the uncertainty the future holds players why not go just go back to SoCal.
In case no one noticed, the Dodgers did not have enough starting pitching post the trade deadline. It likely cost them catching SF to win the division, it almost cost them in the NLDS, and definitely caught up with them in the NLCS. You’d have to squint VERY hard however to imagine Heaney taking a playoff start.
Ridiculous post. In their final 57 regular-season games, the Dodgers went 44-13 and ended up with 106 wins. What cost them the division was the Giants continuing to play outstanding baseball. Of course, the Dodgers fixed that in the post-season. Great season for both teams. People need to stop suggesting that not winning the World Series is some kind of failure. Most people never achieve something equivalent. Are all those people failures, too?
@ Cey Hey;
I think his point can be interpreted as the Dodgers starters having to pitch so many innings down the stretch that they wound up with tired and dead arms against the Braves.
That’s the narrative going around and it could well be true.
Dodgers “fixed that” in the post season? They did not, yes they won the NLDS but having to go thru the wild card + the toll on the short handed starting staff of the NLDS killed the Dodgers in the NLCS.
What I am saying is the front office did not do enough to set up their roster for a deep post season run and World Series defense at the trade deadline. Remember the new trades rules means no major league deals after 7/31 so what you have in your organization is what you have for the next 3 months.
Let’s recap, at the deadline LAD got Max to replace Bauer and then they did nothing else. Not 1 more reliever, a lefty or a #4 type starter just in case someone got hurt as insurance.
The Dodgers never, EVER add, they only ever cover injuries or in the case of 2021, a suspended player. It’s not my opinion it’s factual history. Was Kershaw going down a surprise to anyone? That there was no plan in place for that, THAT is a front failure.
Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard because you’re actually wrong. In addition to Scherzer, the Dodgers later “added” Gonsolin, Graterol, Kelly, and Knebel from the Injured List. That’s quite an arsenal of good pitchers. Three weeks earlier, they recalled Alex Vesia, who was enormously effective. And in August, they signed free agent Shane Greene and claimed Evan Phillips off the waiver wire (there were also Cole Hamels and Danny Duffy, moves that obviously didn’t work out). That’s a nice haul for a team that ended up leading MLB in ERA by a comfortable margin despite injuries to some of those mentioned along with Dustin May and the Bauer situation. They won 106 games and made the LCS. How is that failure?
Did you watch the World Series or any of the playoffs? Starting pitchers were still dropping like crazy. It was the nature of the season and no surprise considering everyone was coming off a 60-game season. In this forum, I predicted several times that 2021 would be the worst year ever for pitcher injuries, which in fact happened and continued to the very end. More pitchers were utilized this season than ever before, with most teams being above 30 pitchers. Just four pitchers tossed 200 innings, while only 41 threw the 162 needed to qualify for their league’s ERA title. In the end, there wasn’t much pitching to go around and the Dodgers got the best one available. What pitchers did the Giants add?
Btw, the Dodgers added Darvish to the rotation in 2017. In subsequent years, they’ve always had seven or eight guys capable of entering the rotation should someone get hurt. When Kershaw, Ryu, Maeda, and Hill were all on the IL at the same time early in 2018. they inserted a rookie named Buehler into the rotation along with Ross Strip[ling, who went on to make the all-star team. What pitching were they supposed to add in recent years? When it comes to MLB pitching rotations these days, they are the gold standard.
Mighty nice of the Dodgers to spend $8.5 mil on someone to throw batting practice for opposing teams
But not yours.
2022 NL Cy Young winner.
Don’t bet against it. Look what they did for Jake McGee after being release from Colorado.
Would not surprise me in the slightest if he went 17-6 with a 2.45 ERA next year.
Bye Kershaw
seven years in the making
Solid signing. The swing-and-miss stuff is there, but he needs some tweaks. The Dodgers are good at these fixes.
Love this buy-low signing for a team who can afford to outbid everyone anyway haha
Heaney is a beast, just get him out of the little league Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park and he will be great either in the pen or as a SP or even both.
Angels stadium isn’t exactly a hitters ballpark..
@cookmeister Angels arent exactly known for developing young arms, either.
@A’s Fan – Not sure if $8.5M is considered “buy low”. Alex Wood for $3M last year was a great buy-low risk along with the ~$4M Rodon deal with the White Sox. I truly believed Heaney would get an offer much closer to these two deals than what he got from LA, but good for him and a great job done by his agent as well. The fact that he got this much money prior to the potential 12/1 lockout date is beyond surprising to me. There are going to be a lot of talented free agents stuck in purgatory if the lack of a new CBA results in a lockout. Depending on how long the lockout lasts, there could be a lot of panic on the players’ behalf resulting in some last minute, below market one year deals being signed. I thought Heaney would have definitely been one of the post CBA signings, but the Dodgers love to zig when other teams zag. Heaney & his agent are very happy tonight for sure.
You do realize he was bad in a bigger ballpark in LA right ?
When can we cut Bauer?
After we hear from the DA, then from the commissioner. The Dodgers can’t make a move on him until then.
Awesome news for the Dodgers. He will probably win 20 and then come playoff time he can be a reliever and get blown up and help them lose whatever series they make it too. During the regular season nobody is smarter than the Dodgers, just ask them. Probably why they haven’t won a WS title going on 33 years. Don’t say a word about the 2020:tournament money grab either.
There are 30 teams and will soon enough be 32. Winning the World Series isn’t the only sign of a successful season.
Funny thing about that 2020 season. If you look at the Major League Baseball record book, the Dodgers are listed as the World Series winners. No asterisk. World Series champions. Internet trolls don’t have a say.
Meanwhile, everyone in MLB worked really hard to make that season happen despite extraordinary circumstances. The players worked particularly hard, getting in shape not once but twice for what was still a grueling season. When in your life have you worked that hard?
Thank you, LA. Now I can rest knowing he won’t be pitching for the Cardinals.
Hate you, lol.
Thanks for the fastball to Taylor!
Excellent pickup! Dodgers will fix him. Watch and learn.
Sure hope so….
Dealin’ Dodgers
Why?
I mentioned in another thread that I wanted Heaney for the RS. Of course, I thought the cost would be more like $8M/2, not $8M/1. I think he’s got some talent, but for a team way over the cap, $8M is a lot.
Way over the cap???? Even with Heaney’s deal the Dodgers are under 175M for 2022. I know deals are still to be made, but it is what it is, not what it was.
All I can say is F#%#.. and please.
Just from a human side , can you imagine being Andrew and reading this thread lol
I’d chime in but a year ago giving Ray 8mil and gausman a QO were horrible moves.
Idk, I feel the Dodgers see something in him we don’t. The Dodgers don’t usually spend unwisely, shelling out big dollars for big risks. They’re as smartly run as the Rays are. I’m not going to claim he’s going to overthrow Kershaw (if he resigns) or Urias as the best lefty on the Dodgers, but I’m going to give the Dodgers the benefit of the doubt that they know what they’re doing and see something wtihin Heaney we fans do not.
Even Trevor Bauer thinks you are being funny.
It’s only fitting that the Yankees sign Kershaw now.
It’s funny how many yankee fans dislike Heaney the person y’all should dislike or hate on is ur gm what did u expect y’all traded for a flyball pitcher to pitch in thee most hitter friendly park. It’s baffling to me some of the pitchers yall sign and expect them to succeed.
He pitched in a bigger ballpark in LA and still stunk. The fact is he stinks and has been bad his whole career for a reason and advanced stats won’t help is cause lol
Joseph, Angel Stadium is not in the city of Los Angeles not even in the county of Los Angeles.
Uffff…. Tks Dodgers !! 😉
Home run Heaney
I bet there is not one Angels fan that guessed Heaney would get $8.5 million in free agency.
I bet there’s not one Angels fan that has any clue how the Angels evaluate pitchers. Heck, I dont think the Angels know how they do it. I’d trust the Dodgers brains over the Angels EVERY TIME.
I would rather see them use that money to keep Chris Taylor.
Doubt that the Dodgers are thinking that Taylor is beyond their reach because they signed Heaney. There is a pool of money with Taylor’s name on it, completely separate and unaffected by the little splash Heaney’s deal made.
At a quick glance, I thought he was Andy Pettitte looking at the title image.
he has tools to succeed but needs a shrink to build mental fortitude!
Dang. I knew Heaney was going to sign with either the Orioles or the Dodgers. I went with Orioles on a best of 5 coin flip. 0 Fer 1
I’m only here to mention that the picture MLBTR used makes Heaney look incredibly similar to Andy Pettitte. Carry on.
I like Heaney. I think he could be an asset. He needs to get over his BFF Skaggs dying. Once he clears his head, he should be good I think.
Wow, get paid 8.5mil to suck.