The New York Yankees have pitching issues. This has been a highly debated topic for most of the season and the Yankees opted to do nothing about it despite having the opportunity to acquire David Price or Johnny Cueto at the trade deadline. General manager Brian Cashman stated his confidence in the unit, but injuries and inconsistencies have things changing as the Yankees chase the postseason.
According to Matthews Wallace of ESPN, the Yankees have demoted Ivan Nova to the bullpen. Nova has been struggling heavily since returning from Tommy John surgery in June. The pitcher is 6-8 with a 5.11 ERA and simply has failed to gain any consistency during the year causing Joe Girardi to make a move. Girardi downplayed the issue and simply said that Nova was not throwing his best right now.
"We're trying to get the guys who are throwing the best right now," Girardi said, via ESPN.com."We have not made any decisions right now on when he'll pitch again. I'm not saying that he won't start another game, but over the weekend he'll be in the bullpen. Most starters want to start, and I understand that. But we need his help in our bullpen now."
The demotion of Nova comes after the loss of Nathan Eovaldi who is down with an elbow injury. For now, the Yankees are sticking with Adam Warren who has resumed a spot in the starting lineup as the regular season comes to a close. The demotion also means that CC Sabathia maintains his spot in the starting lineup despite talk that he could be the pitcher sent to the bullpen.
With all of the concerns in the pitching rotation, it is clear that if the Yankees have to play a one-game playoff matchup, Masahiro Tanaka is their only option. Luis Severino has been inconsistent lately and while he could be a quality option, Tanaka is the best choice. Matthews makes the point that Tanaka, who did struggle early, has been the most consistent arm in the rotation and if the Yankees fail to overtake the Toronto Blue Jays for the division win, Tanaka could take over for a wildcard playoff game.
Once the offseason approaches for the Yankees, New York will have to look at the future of Nova and Sabathia. Neither pitcher has impressed this season and remain big salary handcuffs for the Yankees. The MLB offseason will bring big names onto the free agency market. Price, Cueto along with Zack Greinke could all be available. If the Yankees feel the future's of either Sabathia or Nova are not as bright as they once were, they would be smart to replace them now and not later.