Andrew Heaney Retires: Veteran MLB Left-Hander Ends Career

Veteran left-hander Andrew Heaney has stepped away from Major League Baseball, closing the book on a 12-year career. He played for six organizations, won a World Series, and made plenty of adjustments along the way.

At 34, Heaney announced his retirement after a tough 2025 season. He says he wants to focus on family and community now, after more than a decade on the mound.

A First-Round Pick Who Reached the Majors Quickly

Andrew Heaney’s journey to the big leagues started with high hopes. The Miami Marlins picked him ninth overall in the 2012 MLB Draft.

He moved fast through the minors and made his MLB debut in 2014. Early on, you could see the tools: a lively fastball, a sneaky breaking ball, and a knack for missing bats.

That same offseason, Heaney got swept up in a flurry of trades. Miami sent him to the Dodgers, who immediately flipped him to the Angels in the Howie Kendrick trade.

Anaheim became his home for much of the next decade.

Seven Seasons Wearing an Angels Uniform

Heaney spent seven seasons with the Angels, though injuries disrupted his time there. Tommy John surgery and other arm issues kept breaking his rhythm and limited his innings in key years.

Still, he managed to give the Angels steady innings when healthy. During his time in Anaheim, Heaney logged 569 1/3 innings with a 4.51 ERA.

He showed flashes of being a dependable mid-rotation arm, but never quite put together a fully healthy, dominant season.

A Career Defined by Strikeouts and Adaptation

Across 1,136 2/3 career innings, Heaney finished with a 4.57 ERA while pitching for six MLB clubs. He stuck around for over a decade thanks to a rare combo: swing-and-miss stuff and solid command.

Career numbers tell the story:

The home run total always seemed to haunt him. Heaney could dominate a lineup on any given night, but he never fully shook his tendency to give up the long ball.

High Points in Los Angeles and New York

The Yankees traded for Heaney at the 2021 deadline. Then, the following season, he hit one of his career highs after signing a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Dodgers.

He reinvented himself in Los Angeles, leaning into analytics and becoming a strikeout artist.

A Dominant 2022 with the Dodgers

In 2022, Heaney put up a 3.10 ERA over 72 2/3 innings and struck out 35.5% of batters he faced. It was the kind of year that made you wonder what might’ve happened if things always clicked like that.

World Series Glory with the Rangers

That Dodgers stint earned Heaney a two-year, $25 million contract with the Texas Rangers. Over the next two seasons, he gave Texas exactly what they needed: reliability.

He threw 147 1/3 innings in 2023 and followed up with 160 innings in 2024. Most importantly, Heaney pitched a role in the Rangers’ 2023 World Series championship.

He posted a 4.09 ERA across 11 postseason innings and gave the rotation valuable depth during the title run.

A Difficult Final Season and a Thoughtful Exit

The 2025 season turned out to be the last for Heaney. He split his time between the Pirates and Dodgers, trying to keep things together but finishing with a 5.52 ERA over 122 1/3 innings.

Pittsburgh moved him to the bullpen, then let him go in August. The Dodgers picked him up on a minor-league deal and gave him one more shot in late September.

Some folks figured Heaney might keep pitching as a reliever, but he decided to walk away. He leaves behind more than just numbers—he walks out with a reputation as a pro who adapted, stuck with it, and made a real impact over his decade in the majors.

 
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