Colorado Rockies trade deadline target: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ivan Nova
By Tim Boyle
Among the Colorado Rockies trade deadline targets, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ivan Nova looks like a potential fit. They surely need someone to save their struggling starting staff. Can, and will, the Rockies land this stud top of the rotation arm or are they headed in another direction?
Not very many pitchers can survive a career with the Rockies. This is why Colorado must always target the right pitchers when discussing trades. The right is not always the best. Someone elite like Max Scherzer, who gets a lot of outs via fly balls, would not work out well in Denver. Someone like Nova, with his particular set of skills, could find a way to have a more successful run with the Rockies.
The Pirates are definitely trade deadline sellers this year. Though they’re not far out of the tight National League Central, it’s tough to imagine them keeping pace with the top-heavy National League contenders. This includes the Rockies, who desperately need some pitching.
Right now, Nova seems to have the most value of anyone on the Pirates roster. Andrew McCutchen is producing well lately, but uncertainty remains. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole has not been very stellar at all this season. He has only been the team’s third best starter, taking a backseat Nova and Jameson Taillon.
Both affordable and talented, the Pirates would be wise to at least shop him around. His contract calls for just under $10 million in each of the next two seasons. Considering the state of the Pirates right now, it’s more than likely they’ll have to wait until at least 2020 to make a serious run. So, why not trade Nova now while his stock is higher than ever?
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
A key to Nova’s success this year is the way he has recorded his outs. His 142 groundball outs are the most among all MLB pitchers. Although his ratio of groundouts to air outs only narrowly puts him into the top 25, it’s the consistency in which he induces these shorter hits that is worth noting. Last year, Nova finished the season fourth in this category. As we’ve witnessed, it helped revitalize a dying career.
The major downside to Nova is his strikeout numbers totals are not where they should be. He is fanning batters at a rate of only five per nine innings. These strikeout numbers are similar to Rockies rookies Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela. This did little to hurt their early season run with the Rockies. However, this may have caught up with Senzatela as of late as he is now facing some freshman woes.
Nova’s statistics will certainly take a hit if he were to suit up for the Rockies. Even so, he’s worth pursuing.
Since joining the Pirates last year, Nova is 13-7 with a 3.08 ERA. In those 27 starts, Nova has managed to toss five complete games including two this year already. Many of these numbers can be tossed out the window the moment he arrives in Denver.
Not all groundball pitchers are a fit for the Rockies. This is merely an addition to his value. Clayton Richard of the San Diego Padres, who ranks second in total groundball outs, would not pitch nearly as well with the Rockies due to his weaknesses elsewhere.
Next: Tebow has another dazzling debut
The Rockies will have a tough time luring an ace in free agency. A trade is their only chance to stabilize the rotation. The benefit of adding Nova, aside from helping them this year, is that they will have a new number one for 2018 and 2019. Rather than target the rentals, the Rockies need to secure long-term assets.