Trade Ivan Nova and Rob Refsnyder for a starting pitcher
This is the big one. Since coming back from Tommy John surgery, Ivan Nova, unsurprisingly, has not returned to being the starting pitcher we all know that he is. With a record of 6-11 and an earned run average of 5.07, Nova has become expendable. But while trading Nova won’t bring back anyone particularly good, pairing him with Rob Refsnyder might be enough to land the Yankees, at the very least, a middle of the rotation starting pitcher.
Refsnyder, like Nova, has become expendable. Let’s be honest, he was never given a fair chance to earn the starting second baseman job, nor was he going to be given a chance down the road. That conundrum was amplified by the Yankees when they traded for Starlin Castro.
While talented in his own right, Refsnyder’s best chance at major league glory, will have to come with a different team.
The current starting pitchers on the Yankees are Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, Ivan Nova, and Nathan Eovaldi. That doesn’t necessarily bring fear to the hearts of opposing team. Tanaka is flirting with Tommy John Surgery. Pineda can’t stay 100% healthy. Sabathia is trying to make a comeback from a substance abuse problem. Severino is a rookie. Nova, as mentioned earlier, is still trying to find his footing after coming back from surgery. That leaves Eovaldi, who dealt with injury woes last season, as the most reliable starting pitcher.
Not exactly inspiring stuff.