The New York Yankees have surprisingly been the topic of a lot of trade rumors this offseason. General manger Brian Cashman said he's open to anything and it continues to hold true.
Ivan Nova is the latest member of the Yankees to be floated around in trade rumors. The right-hander did not have an awfully good campaign in 2015, which was his first year back from Tommy John surgery, but New York feels they can still get good value for him.
"The Yankees are prioritizing a starting pitcher, yet they have let teams know Ivan Nova is available," writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Nova, 28, will be a free agent after 2016 and New York is focused on acquiring starters that can contribute beyond this upcoming season. Although Nova finished just 6-11 with a 5.07 ERA in 17 starts in 2015, he's shown the ability to perform at the MLB level in 2011 and 2013 when he made at least 20 starts and maintained an ERA of at least 3.70.
"There are scenarios in which the Yankees could obtain a starter with several years of control and Nova could be sent back as part of the package to give the trading team a starter to plug into their rotation for 2016," Sherman adds.
Sherman also notes the Yankees are not planning to sell low on the right-hander. They're telling other teams they expect him to be "stronger and healthier" in his second year removed from his reconstructive elbow surgery and that he'll be "motivated" in his contract year.
He's projected to make $4.4 million in his final year of arbirtation eligibility, according to MLBTradeRumors.com.
The six-year MLB veteran flashed his ability to perform at a high level even during a sub-par season. Nova recorded solid outings against some of the league's best offenses - Baltimore, Texas and Toronto - and about 40% of his starts came against the Blue Jays and Red Sox, which certainly contributed to his poor ERA.
Perhaps the Yankees will look to include him in potential trade packages with outfielder Brett Gardner, who has also been the subject of rumors. The Chicago Cubs particularly stand out as a possible destination for these two because they need an outfielder and are looking for starting rotation depth (although Nova may not entice them all that much because he's a year away from free agency).
Nonetheless, the MLB Winter Meetings are rapidly approaching and Nova could be one of the bigger names moved during that week.
