Pirates rotation might hold two keys to desperate contenders' trade deadlines

Needless to say, the 2025 campaign has not started off strong for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs' .197 batting average and .302 slugging percentage (through Thursday) trail every team except for the White Sox, and the team is without its top two relievers while continuously making careless and sloppy mistakes. Even after winning three of four against the Nationals this week, the Pirates still boast one of MLB's worst records and run differentials.

But as expected, the starting rotation has largely been a bright spot. Paul Skenes is still Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller has three quality starts in four outings, and top-100 prospect Thomas Harrington has already dipped his toes into MLB waters. But the rotation consists of two other names who may turn out to be key talking points come July.

Both Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney opened eyes and turned heads in their starts against Washington this past series. Falter faced the minimum through seven innings on Wednesday and Heaney pitched into the eighth inning in the Pirates' 1-0 win on Thursday.

Falter was hit hard by the Yankees, the league's top offense, on April 5, and was uncharacteristically wild in his next start in Cincinnati (he's walked seven batters all season and five came in that game). But in his other two starts, he's looked a lot like the pitcher who posted a 3.87 ERA and held opposing hitters to a sub-.300 on-base percentage in his first 19 starts last season.

To this point, Heaney has been everything the Pirates hoped for. His first three starts featured a pair of one-run outings (including a seven-inning, 10-strikeout gem against the Yankees) and a tough loss in Cincinnati where the only blemish across six innings was an Elly De La Cruz grand slam. After 7.1 scoreless innings against the Nationals, his ERA sits at a sparkling 2.13.

At 8-12, the Pirates are certainly not where they want to be (and in the sixth season under the current regime, the bar must be set higher), but if the team continues to struggle in the coming months, they would have to seriously consider selling at the trade deadline, and Falter and Heaney would likely be attractive options.

Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney could wind up being valuable trade chips for the Pirates.

Falter's name came up in trade chatter throughout the offseason as many speculated that the Pirates might trade from their pitching surplus to add to the offense. These talks continued even after the team traded Luis Ortiz for Spencer Horwitz at the Winter Meetings and became more prevalent after Heaney was signed in late February.

Falter will turn 28 next week and is making $2.222 million in his first year of arbitration. He qualified for a fourth season of arbitration eligibility, so he remains under team control through 2028. While he lacks a high ceiling, three-plus seasons of control over a capable left-handed starting pitcher likely wouldn't come cheap.

Heaney, who will turn 34 in June, is making $5.25 million in 2025 on a one-year deal. That turned out to be a far cry from the two-year, $24 million deal Heaney was projected to receive at the start of the winter. That likely dropped him into the Pirates' price range, and also would make him easier to trade should they end up going down that route.

Even if both pitchers revert back to their 2024 forms (4.43 ERA for Falter, 4.28 for Heaney), there will likely be plenty of potential suitors making calls about their availability. But if either arm—Falter with his long-term control or Heaney with his combination of durability and strikeout stuff—continues to pitch well, the Pirates may not be able to resist a trade package from a pitching-needy playoff hopeful, of whom there will probably be plenty.