New York Yankees Rumors: Ivan Nova Has Become Available
By Nick Ziegler
There have been plenty of New York Yankees rumors this offseason with a few resulting in actual trades, and the Bronx Bombers just appear to be getting starting with their offseason moves.
According to the New York Post, Yankees’ starter Ivan Nova is the latest Yankee to find himself on the trading block. The two most mentioned players that have been available for the right price are Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller. The news that Nova is now on the market makes for an intriguing situation for the Yankees.
Nova first made an impact with the Yankees in the 2011 season, as he totaled a 16-4 record, 3.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 27 starts. After the great season in 2011, Nova earned some high expectations in New York, but couldn’t deliver in the 2012 season. In 2012, Nova pitched pretty poorly despite having a winning record at 12-8, as he totaled a 5.02 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
The roller-coaster start to his career would continue in 2013 as Nova bounced back with a season much like the one he had in 2011. In 2013, Nova totaled a 9-6 record, 3.10 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 116 strikeouts. Nova began to show the ability to also pitch effectively deep into games, as he totaled three complete games, and two shutouts.
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After the bounce back season in 2013, Nova would have his season cut short in 2014, as he had to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery. Nova was able to make his return rather quickly from the surgery in the 2015 season, but his results in his first year back weren’t very good.
After pitching fairly well in June and July, Nova really imploded in August with a 5.67 ERA in six starts. Things continued to go downhill in September, as he totaled an even worse 6.20 ERA in four starts.
Coming back from Tommy John surgery isn’t an easy thing to do, but in the final year of his contract, the Yankees still really don’t know what they have in Nova. Consistency has been a big issue for him in his career so far, and that is something that the Yankees can’t afford to have in their rotation.
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Much of the talk for the Yankees has been about their interest to bring in a young starting pitcher, but it’s hard to imagine that Nova would be the piece to do so. If the Yankees do indeed trade Nova, they will likely be looking for more young players to stock their minor leagues with, as a deal could be similar to the Justin Wilson one that we recently saw.
The Yankees have a lot of question marks in their starting rotation, and Nova would certainly be another one if he was in it to start the 2016 season. If the Yankees are indeed able to trade Miller or Gardner for a young starter that can pitch in the majors in 2016, that would likely result in Nova being dealt in the final year of his contract.