Ivan Nova Likely Pitched His Way Out of New York Yankees' Rotation Spot For Now

The battle for the fifth starter in the New York Yankees’ rotation might finally be decided after Ivan Nova pitched poorly on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. C.C. Sabathia will most likely take his turn in the rotation, at least to start the year.

To be fair, Nova was playing against a stacked deck. Sabathia and his huge contract and his track record were going to get the benefit of the doubt in a close competition. However, Nova could have won the job if he had pitched consistently, and he failed to show that consistency.

Sabathia, in his last start, gave up two runs in five innings. It was a solid start for Sabathia who had been taking some flak recently for pitching poorly in some of his recent spring starts. Nova needed to come out and pitch well but flopped miserably. He allowed three home runs, six runs, five earned runs and gave up five hits. He also walked three but did strike out five in 4.2 innings. The three home runs and blowing a 5-1 lead to a division opponent, even if it is Spring Training, should be the final nail in the coffin.

The Yankees weren’t exactly confident in Nova. They let it be known they were shopping him through much of the winter but didn’t get any offers, at least none they found satisfactory. Nova entered Spring Training the underdog and would have to pitch much better than he did this spring in order to beat out Sabathia.

Nova’s new role with the Yankees will probably be as the long man in the bullpen, if the Yankees don’t trade him to fill another hole. Given the health questions that surround the Yankees’ rotation, they would be wise to keep him around. He will eventually take a spot in the rotation, that is almost a given. No team goes through an entire season with just five starters.

Keeping Nova would be a wise move. Manager Joe Girardi has mentioned he wants to give Masahiro Tanaka a little extra rest at times early in the season. Nova would be a valuable insurance policy. After Nova, the next in line is Bryan Mitchell whom the Yankees love but hasn’t shown much in terms of results on the mound yet. Nova could still play a major part in the Yankees’ 2016 plans.