The Andrew Heaney era in Pittsburgh will live on. Well, for a little bit longer, at least.

The 34-year-old starter who was expected to be on the move on Thursday’s trade deadline ended up staying put in Pittsburgh, to the surprise of a many fans.

In his first start post-deadline, Heaney went 3.1 innings in Colorado, surrendering seven hits and four runs. One was unearned, and the other came off a home run smacked in the third inning by Warming Bernabel.

Heaney was signed to a one-year deal in the winter coming off a two-year run in Texas, where he won a World Series in 2023. Last season, the lefty posted a 4.28 ERA with a 1.250 WHIP and 3.88 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was one of the more unlucky pitchers in baseball last season, garnering a 5-14 record despite hovering around the league average in many stats. Basically, he was last year’s Mitch Keller.

The Pirates signed Heaney for $5.25 million, adding a second left-hander to the rotation that was praised as the biggest strength of the club.

However, his contract was also designed to be moved if the Pirates were out of the playoff race come the trade deadline. A rental lefty with the kind of pedigree Heaney had would certainly generate some interest around the league…right?

And sure enough, the Pirates found themselves in a seller’s position once again. Under .500 by double digits on deadline day, the Pirates sold off several parts of their major league roster, including closer David Bednar and lefty starter Bailey Falter.

However, as the 6pm deadline came and went, several of the team’s pending free agents, including Heaney, were not moved, leaving an already irate fanbase all the more upset.