Andrew Heaney emerging Rangers rotation savior could make him trade deadline casualty

Andrew Heaney signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Texas Rangers prior to the 2023 season. The Rangers won a World Series in Heaney's first year while he had an up-and-down season. Now just a few months later, the defending champions sit in a gray area and must debate whether to sell at the deadline. If they were to sell, Heaney would be a prime candidate.

The left-hander hitting a hot streak at the moment has changed a lot for Texas. He's well into his 30s and will become a free agent at the end of the season. He could walk for nothing, and father time has not been known to be kind to pitchers anyway, especially ones already in their 11th season. If the Rangers decide to sell, they could reload a bit of a depleted farm system and create some space to get younger starting pitching. And it's something they will need to do sooner than later as well.

Heaney has maximized his value through his strong of solid performances recently. This is the best stretch Heaney has had as a Ranger and he's so far registered the second-lowest ERA of his career. For a pitcher who's been known to be inconsistent at times, now is when the Rangers would be able to get the most value for the left-hander. It's a thin market for starting pitching this deadline with many teams in holding territory, so it could be the perfect storm to get a pretty substantial haul for a back-of-the-rotation pitcher.

But the question of whether or not Heaney (or any other expiring contracts) will still Rangers in August is not quite answered. The Rangers have a very favorable schedule this week, including four games against the MLB-worst White Sox. They then go to Toronto to a play a team that seems to be shopping most of their young players.

As it currently stands, the Rangers still sit three games below .500. All Rangers fans know, it's been a frustrating season and the defending champs have seemed unable to hold positive momentum. If they are going to alter that trend, they won't get a better chance than this week.

If they are unable to, it's likely Heaney and a few other expiring contracts will be on the move before Tuesday.