The Yankees have been “pushing Ivan Nova in trade talks” over the past few weeks, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney, citing rival executives (Twitter link). The Nova report comes on the heels of indicators that the Yankees are also nearing a trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, so it seems that further rental pieces could continue to be shopped by GM Brian Cashman in the coming week.
The 29-year-old Nova had a brutal month of June but has otherwise been a solid piece for the Yankees’ pitching staff this season. His overall ERA sits at 4.65 in 93 innings of work, though he’s allowed just one run in three of his past four outings. Nova has also averaged 7.0 strikeouts against 2.1 walks per nine innings pitched and recorded a very strong 54.9 percent ground-ball rate, so there’s reason to believe that there could yet be improvement on the horizon in what is his first full season back from 2014 Tommy John surgery. (He did throw 94 innings last year but was sidelined until late June due to said surgery.) Nova’s velocity isn’t quite up to the 93 mph he averaged prior to Tommy John surgery, but he’s close to that mark, averaging 92.5 mph this year. Home runs have long been a problem for Nova, but he’s seen his homer-to-flyball ratio spike to nearly 21 percent this season, which is almost certain to regress moving forward. Escaping the homer-happy confines of Yankee Stadium certainly wouldn’t hurt, in that regard.
Nova is earning $4.1MM this season in his final year before reaching the free agent market. He’s still owed about $1.55MM of that sum through season’s end, making him a fairly affordable piece. While Nova certainly doesn’t have a track record of dominance, he’s displayed over the course of his career that he’s capable of delivering an ERA in the mid- to low-4.00s with a roughly average number of strikeouts, good control and plenty of ground-balls. For a club that’s hunting for innings at the back of its rotation as opposed to a front-line arm — the Marlins, Mets, Orioles and Tigers come to mind as a few speculative possibilities — he could be a reasonably priced piece, both financially and in terms of prospect cost.
Cashman is feeling frisky
I hope there is one conga line of these guys getting on the deegan and another conga line of prospects getting off.
sell anyone you can cash.
Right… I hope you don’t talk crap when the Yankees can’t win another game…
Can’t expect much more than a bag of balls.
No way – they’ll at least throw in a fungo bat
Dumb and Dumber…
Maybe he can get a decent prospect in A ball, if someone is desperate closer to the deadline. Other than that, I’m not sure what less than half a season of a 4/5 starter would net in a trade.
If they don’t get traded, Nova and Beltran will make for pretty interesting qualifying offer cases.
I can see Beltran getting a QO but not Nova
a QO for a guy looking to play one, maybe two more years will eliminate his market to the point he will have no choice to accept it. for that reason I don’t think they go there.
Neither will come close to getting QO because they’d both accept it!
Yankees want to be under the luxury tax next season and they are currently only projected to have 10 mil to spend without going over that mark. Beltran want to play 2 more seasons and nobody is going to offer him 2 years at 30 mil and have to sacrafic a pick, so he’d most likely accept the QO which screws the Yanks offseason plans.
Nova would be lucky to average $8 Mil on a year on a long term deal so his best move would to also accept the offer and build his value up next season.
Beltran accepting a QO would not a bad thing, for him or the Yankees. And if he declines it, they’d get another draft pick. Really would be a win/win either way.
No not a win for the Yanks. They want to reset the Luxury Tax clock this year and they currently only have 10 Mil to spend if they part ways with Beltran. If he accepts a QO they they can’t sign anyone and would have to trade other pieces to get back under. Beltran will be dealt this week.
Where do you see him going? Rangers?
He’s been by far their best offensive performer this year, and even dating back to June of last season. Either way, it’s still a win for both the organization and the player. They didn’t sign 1 major league free agent this past off season, what makes you think they’re going to go into a much weaker free agent market and sign players this year? The only player I see them even entertaining signing during the off season is Chapman (maybe Kenley Jansen). Other than that… There’s nobody.
I’m not saying they will or won’t. I’m saying they don’t have the money to offer him the QO. A 15 mil offer to Beltran is really a 22.7 mil offer. They won’t do it.
I’m not 100% sure but I’m pretty sure that there’s gonna be a new CBA that resets the luxury tax which will most likely be higher around 200 millions maybe a little lower, and there might not even be qualifying offers for all we know, and if there were Beltran should get one, we would be lucky to, with the production he is capable of putting up he’d be worth it, besides, would you rather we had A-Rod as a full time DH, or Beltran platooning it with him with some occasional reps in Right.
Yes I believe you are correct about the collective bargaining agreement and that the tax amount might go up, which would give them another 10 mil to spend give or take. But they will never give 75% of their available cash to a 41 year old. They are going younger and need to stay under. I expect they will use the 20 mil on one and two year contracts of vets that can be platooned with the young guys. To start next season they will need a 1b, bullpen arms, possibly a starter, and a DH (assuming no trades). Paying 16 of your 20 mil to a 41 year old won’t happen.
I’m interested to see how much interest there is. The market for back of rotation inning eaters hasn’t been very robust.
When rich hill is the top name on the market, nova will draw interest.
Good point on Hill.
Trade him to the Cubs for Eloy Jimenez, Happ, and Underwood.
Too soon?
Nope. Not with Chapman too.
Nova has a 0.6 WAR, so maybe the Yanks can get a similar expiring position player.