4 potential 2023 World Series winners the Braves should sign

SP Andrew Heaney, Rangers

Andrew Heaney has a $13 million option he's likely to decline to enter the open market this offseason. While he may prove a tad pricy depending on how the market views him after this postseason, he's a strong starting arm that the Braves could bring in to backfill someone like Charlie Morton, should he retire or have his option declined. Perhaps most important is that Heaney has, at times, played a bullpen role, too, so he may be a more versatile player available to the Braves this offseason than other options.

Heaney's free agent market is tough to get a good handle on. Spotrac projects he'll cost about $13.75 million next year, which seems fair. That market level may ultimately find him simply picking up his player option to return to Arlington next season.

While Heaney performed well last season, his 2023 has been up and down. He landed just above average in ERA but had a high 1.378 WHIP. Save for one game this postseason, his appearances have been mostly effective on the mound.

Heaney is a three-pitch pitcher, mostly relying on a four-seamer with a slider and changeup at 25 and 17 percent usage, respectively.

Heaney has also been a somewhat perplexing pitcher over the years as far as talent assessment is concerned:

Reputationally, he is a brand name for mostly the right reasons. So he must be good, right? But he has just one sub-1.3 WHIP season the last five, and his propensity to get batters out in the air instead of on the ground leaves him liable to have to work out of trouble at times.

In general, not a bad pitcher to look at signing, but there's likely a better one available from the Rangers...