8 offseason targets for Chaim Bloom to shore up the Cardinals rotation

Andrew Heaney

When thinking of veteran starting pitchers that the Cardinals can really buy low on, getting at a bargain rate and seeing if they way outperform the salary given to them, Andrew Heaney for sure falls into that category.

Heaney made 23 starts and four relief appearances in 2025 between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 5.52 ERA in 122.1 innings of work. His strikeouts per nine took a major dip down to 6.3 on the year, and he posted the worst WHIP of his career (1.381) since 2017. Heaney will be going into his 13th big league season in 2026 and possibly his seventh big league team, and I could see the Cardinals exploring a partnership.

At different points in his career, Heaney has been a guy who actually produces a fair amount of swing and miss. He boasts a 9.2 K/9 for his career, and does so without a crazy high walk rate either. Heaney has rarely been a guy who eats a lot of innings, though, and has dealt with numerous injuries, so that on one hand makes him an easier signing since he has that working against him, but on the other hand, makes him less reliable for a team looking to bring him in.

Still, Heaney has remained healthy the last three seasons, should come at a low salary number, and could end up throwing valuable innings for the club, mentoring young pitchers, and could be someone they flip at the trade deadline for any kind of return.

Heaney should also come at a number that is easily waivable if he performs poorly or the Cardinals want to open up a spot for a young player to make starts. You don't want to block Mathews, Doyle, Hence, or other young starters if they are ready, but you certainly don't want to force them into a role at the Major League level if it is not best for their development either.

I'm not sure how much this would be taken into account, but he is also a World Series champion, having one of the best seasons of his career on the 2023 Texas Rangers. That kind of experience matters in a clubhouse, especially since the Cardinals' rotation and bullpen are going to be very young next year.