Andrew Heaney, Jose Leclerc Exercise Options with Rangers

By Nate Miller

November 4, 2023

When the Texas Rangers attempt to repeat their 2023 World Series championship, they’ll have two more familiar names on the roster. The club announced on Saturday that left-handed veteran Andrew Heaney exercised his $13 million player option for the 2024 campaign. The club also picked up a $6 million team option on righty Jose Leclerc for next season. Retaining the services of both Heaney and Leclerc was clearly a top priority for the Rangers. Both moves occurred less than 72 hours after the conclusion of the World Series.

Andrew Heaney

In his first season with the Rangers, Andrew Heaney went 10–6 with an ERA of 4.15 over 34 games (147 1/3 innings). His 10 wins marked a career high, as did his 151 strikeouts. Heaney also earned the first postseason win of his career in Game Four of the World Series. He pitched in five postseason games in 2023, three of which were starts. That translates into 11 innings in which he struck out four and had a WHIP of 1.364. He posted an ERA of 4.09 in the postseason, which is slightly higher than his career postseason ERA of 3.86.

Jose Leclerc

Jose Leclerc became an integral part of the Rangers’ postseason run. He posted a 3.29 ERA and a 1.098 WHIP across 13 2/3 innings while picking up four saves. He also had a record of 1–1 during the postseason. Leclerc fanned 14 batters in the postseason as well. In the regular season, Leclerc appeared in 57 games in relief for the Rangers. During that stretch, he had a record of 0–2 with an ERA of 2.68. He saved four games, bringing his career total in the regular season to 40.

Lerclerc struck out 67 in his 57 innings during the regular season to go along with his WHIP of 1.140. Having both Heaney and Leclerc in the mix could be as beneficial for the Rangers as it was this year. Leclerc will most likely be pitching out of the back end of the bullpen. As for Heaney, it is yet to be determined if he’ll be in the starting rotation or the bullpen. He has proven that he can handle both roles for the Rangers.