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MLB Trade Deadline 2018: One player on each team likeliest to be dealt

By Brad Weiss

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 30: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles heads to the dugout against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 30: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles heads to the dugout against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 18: Ivan Nova #46 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the game against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on May 18, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 18: Ivan Nova #46 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the game against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on May 18, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates: Ivan Nova

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of another tough season, and it is going to be a while until they are a serious contender in the NL Central again. The division has blown past the Pirates, and at the beginning of July, they already seem to be out of even the Wild Card race.

From 2013-15, the Pirates were actually one of the better teams in the National League. Pittsburgh made the playoffs in each of those seasons, with the pinnacle of the run coming in 2013, when they made it to the Divisional Round. Since then, it has been downhill.

The Pirates have finished under .500 since 2015, and it looks like the 2018 campaign will be their third straight failing to win at least 81 games. When it comes time for the trade deadline, the Pirates could be a seller, and they have a couple of assets worth going after.

One of those assets is Ivan Nova, who has started 15 games for the Pirates this season. Nova is a guy who has tremendous experience over his career, and has even started a game in the playoffs when he was a member of the New York Yankees. Entering July 1, Nova is 4-5 with an earned run average just over 4.00.

Nova was once a solid starter for the Yankees, and that is a place he could land via a trade. The Yankees have a couple of holes in their starting rotation, and having already pitched in New York and the AL East, Nova would not be the worst-case scenario for the Bombers during the trade deadline.

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