3. Ivan Nova
Ask any Yankees fan and they would tell you they would be shocked that Nova would be on any top five free agent list when the team shipped Nova to Pittsburgh at the deadline last season. Well, Nova certainly rebuilt his value as Ray Searage‘s genius struck again.
Nova went 5-2 in 11 starts with Pittsburgh including three (!) complete games. He had an ERA of 3.06 and a FIP of 2.62.
Nova won’t turn 30 until January and clearly Searage has unlocked something. If he can take what he learned in Pittsburgh, a team signing Nova could have another J.A. Happ on their hands.
Nova hadn’t won double-digit games since 2012 so a team going after him is going to have to take that into account. What Nova are they getting? The Pirates version or the inconsistent Yankees version?
If a team is getting the Pirates version, they are going to have a starter who could really deepen a rotation. If it’s the Yankees version, you could have a large sunk cost on your hands.
To give you an idea of what this market is like, this is a deal that is possible for Nova in the free agent market:
Craziest prediction I’ve heard so far from a GM: Ivan Nova, five years, $75M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 7, 2016