MLB Trade Rumors: New York Yankees Shopping Starting Pitcher Ivan Nova?
The New York Yankees are in need of starting pitching and have floated outfielder Brett Gardner and closer Andrew Miller in the trade market. A new name is being shopped around by the Yankees and its starting pitcher Ivan Nova, per New York Post.
The report notes that Nova has one more season left until he hits free agency, but the Yankees' front office is looking for young starters they can control for a few more years. New York can trade the 28-year-old along with Gardner or Miller in a package that can help them land a starter to help their rotation with controllable years.
According to Rant Sports, the Yankees were previously linked with Danny Salazar of the Cleveland Indians that involved Gardner, but the deal did not materialize because one of the teams wanted more in return. The team have acquired outfielder Aaron Hicks from the Minnesota Twins last week, further fuelling the impending departure of Gardner.
The New York Post also adds that Brian Cashman and the front office are not selling low on Nova despite a down year following his Tommy John surgery. He returned in June but went 6-11 with an abysmal 5.07 ERA that prompted Yankees manager Joe Girardi to drop him from the rotation at the beginning of September, per NJ Advance Media.
The Yankees are reportedly trying to convince teams that he will be better next season because he will be more than a year removed from TJ surgery and he is playing for more money. He is making $4.5 million next season and will be a good addition for contending teams looking for cost-efficient players.
Rant Sports also said that it is a smart move for the Yankees to trade Nova because he is behind Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation. Cashman could also sign a reclamation project pitcher from free agency like he did with Eovaldi and McCarthy last season.
While the front office thinks the team needs starting pitcher, their catcher Brian McCann believes the rotation is deep and does not need improvement. "I think we've got a lot of depth. You get Nova back, second year off of Tommy John, which usually is the year that pitchers start feeling a lot better off that surgery," McCann told MLB.com.
"Eovaldi took huge steps forward and I think his ceiling is as high as it gets. Pineda is filthy. CC Sabathia, pitching with that new knee brace and being able to work both sides of the plate, was huge. We like where our rotation is at and we like our team. We're excited about going into next season," he added.
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