LA Angels quietly returned nice haul for struggling Andrew Heaney

Andrew Heaney and the LA Angels really needed to go their separate ways.

Heaney’s performance was pretty awful for the Halos this year, posting a losing 6-7 record, as well as recording a disappointing 5.27 ERA.

They traded him to the New York Yankees. Maybe he just needed a change of scenery. The Yankees, however, sent over some underrated prospects for the pitcher.

The LA Angels got the right haul for Andrew Heaney.

The two Minor Leaguers that the LA Angels received in return for Andrew Heaney are Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero. Junk is 4-1 in Class AA, and Peguero is also 4-1 in Class A and AA.

Those records look a lot better than Heaney’s under .500 record, and his 30-36 career record.

Junk’s ERA this year is 1.78, and Peguero’s sits at 2.23 right now.

That looks a lot better than the 5.27.

The thing is, Heaney never seemed to be progressing. He just kind of sat there in mediocrity (and that even is a compliment). Heaney pitched alright last year and in 2018. In fact, he looked pretty good in limited action in 2015.

That being said, he regressed this year, and his inconsistencies are too much to put up with. He’s better off going to New York and trying to win back his career while switching to the bullpen.

Junk was the No. 27 prospect for the Yanks, and Peguero was trending that way himself.

Both are 25 or younger, where as Heaney is of course much older at 30.

Junk was actually starting to really improve, too, as he had a bad 2019 and no Minor League baseball in 2020 (due to the coronavirus pandemic). He has a fastball that touches 97, and has been developing a good slider.

His improvement hasn’t show signs of stopping, and I’m excited to see him get out there. It was a good trade for both teams.