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MLB Free Agency 2017: Five potential teams for Ivan Nova

By Parker Hurley

Sep 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova (46) pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova (46) pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ivan Nova may be in line for a nice payday this off-season. Who is going to give it to him?

Ivan Nova appears to be another one of the Pirates great reclamation projects. Nova threw only 20 innings in 2014 and had a 5.07 era in 2015 for the New York Yankees. In 2016 he had a 4.90 era for the Yankees and they traded the impending free agent on the cheap to the Pirates. The Pirates got 64 innings out of Nova with a 3.06 era. In the first half of 2016, Nova had a 2.31 walk rate and gave up 1.76 home runs per nine. In Pittsburgh, he had a 0.42 walk rate and gave up 0.56 home runs per nine.

Given his recent success in Pittsburgh, he is going to get paid. Given Pittsburgh’s stingy reputation, it is not going to be them doing so. They’ve let A.J. Burnett, JA Happ, and Francisco Liriano all go and Nova will likely be no different. So who is going to overpay…I mean sign Nova this offseason?

Carlos Beltran, MLB Free Agency
Sep 14, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Carlos Beltran (36) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Texas Rangers

The Rangers already signed Andrew Cashner this off-season, but this team is likely to be signing a couple of veteran arms to try to fix their problem. They are overall complete at most positions. However, they definitely need some back end pitching depth if they want to make another serious run at a World Series in 2017.

The Rangers would also be a solid fit because they would not be afraid to pay for a player like Nova. If they think that they can bring out what the Pirates brought out, and he can be a key cog such as Edinson Volquez for the Royals in 2015, it will be worth any dollar amount. The Rangers would not be afraid to take that chance.

It also would be a solid fit for Nova. He does not need to come in to be a relied on pitcher and would not be a top two option for the Rangers. They can deal with some of his regression and still have improvement in their pitching.

The Rangers have A.J. Griffin, Martin Perez, Nick Martinez and Chi Chi Gonzalez all to potentially fill innings at the back end of the rotation. However, all come with their own set of questions, and when it comes to needing a player for six solid innings, they could rely on Nova.

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