The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to sign free-agent left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney for an $8.5 million, one-year contract, according to US media reports. 

According to Associated Press, the agreement hadn’t yet been announced. On October 7, Heaney turned down the New York Yankees’ offer of an outright minor league assignment and became a free agent. Last season, he earned $6.75 million.

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Heaney, 30, pitched for the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees in 2021, finishing 8-9 with a 5.83 ERA. After being sold to the Yankees for two minor leaguers on July 30, he went 2-2 with a 7.32 ERA in 12 games, including five starts.

With 150 strikeouts and 41 walks over 129 2/3 innings, Heaney’s peripheral metrics were better than his ERA, leading to anticipation that he may improve in 2022.

After throwing with the Angels from 2015 to 2021, Heaney is no stranger to the area. He was a Dodger for a short time before that, having been acquired from Miami on December 11, 2014, along with Kiké Hernández and Austin Barnes, and then traded to Anaheim the same day for Howie Kendrick.

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Last season, Andrew Heaney was one of 15 starting pitchers in baseball with a K% of 26.9% or higher and a BB% of 7.3 or below.

Robbie Ray, Lucas Giolito, Joe Musgrove, and Eduardo Rodrguez were the other four starts, all of whom were All-Stars.

Heaney was a member of the Dodgers for a few hours between trades during the 2014 Winter Meetings (a term highlighted by a tongue-in-cheek tweet praising the club for their “excellent run” together), so this will be his second stay with the team.

In 2022, if his outcomes match his more positive underlying metrics, he’ll have a reasonable chance of securing a much better multi-year deal on the free agency market. In the meanwhile, he’ll aim to lead the Dodgers to their ninth consecutive postseason participation and a third consecutive trip to the National League Championship Series.

With inputs from the Associated Press