Will Ivan Nova’s Fantasy Value Increase In Pittsburgh?

By Mike Marteny | Aug 1, 2016

Jul 23, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Ivan Nova (47) reacts on his way to the dugout in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

Pirates strengthen the back of their rotation by adding Ivan Nova from the Yankees.

The Pirates picked up 29 year old Ivan Nova from the Yankees as the Bombers Fire Sale continues. Nova is 7-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 15 starts and six relief appearances this year.

The Yankees will receive two players to be named later to complete the trade. You all know the most famous player to be named later, but here are some others that you may have heard of.

How about David Ortiz? Before he was Big Papi he was David Arias, who was the player to be named later in the 1996 deal that sent Dave Hollins from the Twins to the Mariners. Sure, not every player to be named later winds up as a Hall of Famer, but there are a few other good ones. Coco Crisp, Michael Brantley, and Gio Gonzalez to name a few.

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The Yankees already rebuilt their farm system with the Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, and Carlos Beltran deals. Whatever they get from the Pirates will be fine with them. The Yankees already exiled Nova to the bullpen once this year.

So what is in it for the Pirates? Nova has struggled his entire career in pinstripes, so what will be different? For one, he was a overhyped prospect that never lived up to his billing. Part of that was because of the bright spotlight in New York City for the most famous baseball team in the world. A change of scenery should do Nova good.

He is a former top prospect who is in the prime of his career. If he can turn it around, Pittsburgh is a good place for him. In theory, this is a low risk-high reward scenario for the Pirates. If he falters, they still have plenty of pitching prospects in the minor leagues. If not, they have a solid middle of the rotation guy going forward.

Possibly the most important thing is they can finally move Jeff Locke and his 5.43 ERA to the bullpen.

Those of you in 12 team or larger leagues can pick up Nova. You may not want to throw him out there right away, but PNC Park is a cavernous park compared to Yankee Stadium. Nova’s ERA should go down. His wins may decrease some as well, but not much. At any rate, he should be a low risk-high reward option for your fantasy team as well as the Pirates.

Next: How Will Melancon's value change in Washington?

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