Breaking down the trade market for Ivan Nova

By -
A free agent at the end of the season, Ivan Nova’s name has been floated around in trade rumors for a while now, dating back to last season. Sure, he’s really just a back-end of the rotation type arm, but the pitching market is heavily inflated this summer. His 4.65 ERA isn’t attractive, but his 2.66 ERA in his last four starts has increased his trade value. With a severe lack of high-end talent for starting pitching, Nova would bring back a return higher than most would expect, despite his fairly mediocre career numbers. With this being said, here are a few teams that could be interested in acquiring Nova.

Jim McIssac - Getty Images

Miami Marlins
Mark Feinsand of the Daily News reported that the Marlins, who have been in dire need of pitching depth, are interested in Nova. The Marlins are battling for a Wild Card spot and need the rotation to help get them there. Aside from ace Jose Fernandez, Miami’s starting rotation is incredibly inconsistent. Not that Nova is Mr.Consistent himself, but he’d be a valuable piece to a team that also needs bullpen help, where they could utilize his role as a swingman. After losing offseason acquisition Wei-Yin Chen to the DL, Nova would represent a significant upgrade over the incumbents occupying rotation spots.

 Texas Rangers
The Rangers haven’t been linked to Nova specifically, but they have been linked to starting pitching in general. While there have been reports of them trying to acquire Tampa’s Chris Archer or Matt Moore, they might feel more comfortable making a low risk move for Nova. They wouldn’t have to give up their top guys like Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar, and they’d be getting someone who could solidify the backend of a rotation that currently sports a 4.23 ERA.

San Francisco Giants
Like the Rangers, the Giants haven’t been linked to Nova, but they are also in search of rotation help. San Francisco has a solid trio of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, but Matt Cain's age and Jake Peavy’s 5.42 ERA don’t offer much to be excited about. Nova would remove one of Cain or Peavy from the rotation, which would be best for him, as he is nothing more than number four or five starter. For a team that that needs to maintain their slim lead over the Dodgers, solidifying the back end of the rotation is a must.



Article by: Phil Akre
Follow me on twitter: @philakre
Follow the BBB on Twitter @bronxbomberblog

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing Bronx Bomber Bets: BBBets 9/23

By -
Image
Welcome to our new gambling column at BBB, Bronx Bomber Bets. Here we will be giving out some of our favorite picks of the day and sharing them with our readers. Today, we are giving out 10 picks for all of you, so please enjoy, and bet responsibly. Now, we know that not all of our readers are big gamblers, if they are gamblers at all, so for the first week or so that we give out picks we will be explaining the odds and gambling terminology for anyone out there who is looking to learn about sports betting. Here are our picks:
Read more

Trade Market the Perfect Storm for Yankees to Acquire Starter

By -
Image
 UPDATE D 11/18/15 We’ve all heard it: The Yankees aren’t likely to be big spenders this offseason. Hearing this makes me chuckle as the Yankees have the dollars to field a $500 million pay roll if they wanted to, but their dedication to winning just hasn’t been there since the passing of good ole’ George. Sure little rumors have serviced here or there about them maybe pursuing Zach Greinke who has recently opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that move reeks of the move CC Sabathia pulled in opting out of his contract with the Yankees a few years back to simply restructure his contract and make a better payday.   However, instances like CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka are why I believe the Yankees aren’t going to shell out big money and a long term contract for a big name starter this year. There are simply too many factors that could explode in the Pinstripes’ face when giving a long contract to a starter as evidenced by Sabathia’s fall from g...
Read more

Pride, Passion and Pinstripes: The greatest Yankees to ever touch the field

By -
Image
No team in baseball history has a story quite like the Yankees. 27 times they’ve found baseball Nirvana which is 16 more than the next closest team (Cardinals). 40 times have the Yankees won the American League, and that is also a major league record. The franchise won four straight championships from 1936-1939 and five straight from 1949-1953, a task no other team has ever accomplished. With all this sustained success, the team has seen some of the greatest players in league history proudly call the Bronx home. Together the Yankees could field multiple All-Star teams with their collective legends, but in this article, I’m going to try and put together a team of legends that I think would be absolutely unbeatable.   Photo Credit: Creative Commons
Read more