The New York Yankees may not have a bona fide ace, but they do have a surplus of MLB-ready starters. Trade rumors have focused on the team's endeavors to move one of their starters and acquire a young, controllable arm, but the latter may not be realistic at this point.
However, it seems as if they could still trade one of their own starters to clear up some space in the rotation.
"[Ivan] Nova has drawn some interest as a back-end starter, and the Yankees could decide on something with him over the next month," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "Including Nova, the Yankees have seven starting pitchers (Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, CC Sabathia, and Michael Pineda) so they could part with one if it brings back a good prospect or a major league-ready outfielder. Miami has had interest."
The only other pitcher on that list that is likely to garner significant interest is Severino, but the Yankees have expressed time and time again the 21-year-old isn't going anywhere. The Marlins reportedly asked for Severino when the Yankees inquired about starter Jose Fernandez.
Rumors surrounded Nova earlier in the offseason when it was reported general manager Brian Cashman was attempting to make the case that the right-hander's low salary for 2016 (projected at about $4.5 million in his final year of arbitration) as well as the fact he'll likely perform better in his second season removed from Tommy John surgery make him a good acquisition. Cashman has also reportedly told potential suitors that Nova will be more motivated to perform well given next season is his contract year - yet another possible selling point in an otherwise weak case for a trade.
Nova, 28, has made only 21 starts since the beginning of 2014 and is 8-13 with a 5.65 ERA over that span. The right-hander has been largely inconsistent throughout his six-year MLB career, having posted a 16-4 record with a 3.70 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) back in 2011 only to follow that up with a 5.02 ERA in 28 starts in 2013. This could be the biggest red flag for teams interested in making a deal.
Nonetheless, it makes sense why the Marlins would be interested. Nova could slide into the back end of their rotation given they have a number of unproven names/young prospects projected to make a run at those spots. However, the team just reportedly agreed to a deal with pitcher Edwin Jackson, so it's unknown how he'll be used or if the front office is still exploring starting pitching options.
Cashman probably won't relent in his efforts to find another starter he feels will help strengthen the rotation, but at this point it seems as if it's more likely Nova gets moved first so the team can assess the situation with one less pitcher in the picture.
