Pittsburgh Pirates: Ivan Nova Traded to Chicago White Sox

The first domino has fallen for the Pittsburgh Pirates at this week’s Winter Meetings. The Bucs made a subtraction in the move.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded veteran starting pitcher Ivan Nova to the White Sox for what is expected to be a young pitcher and international money.  Nova went 9-9 in 2018 for the Pirates posting a 4.19 ERA in 29 starts. The right-hander pitched 161 innings for the black and gold in 2018 and averaged 3.26 strikeouts per walk over the course of the season.

Nova spent two and a half years in the Pirate rotation going an even 25-25 in 71 starts. He threw five complete games with the team, three of which coming in his first half season with the Pirates after being traded from the Yankees at the 2016 trade deadline.

Nova was known for his ability to pitch without walking batters with his walks per nine innings never going above 2 in his time with the Pirates. His best year with that statistic was in 2016 when he walked 0.4 batters per nine innings in 11 starts.

Nova will bring a veteran presence to a young rotation in Chicago’s South Side. This trade will free up salary space for a possibility of another move that the Pirates could make in the coming days. Team needs include shortstop, starting pitcher and left-handed relievers.

Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington mentioned that he still believed Nova was a good fit for the Pirates even with him going into the final year of his contract with the team. This led fans to believe that Nova would not be traded. Huntington also said this about Francisco Cervelli as recently as this afternoon.

As stated in an article published on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have more moves in the making.  The team now looks like they could be looking to add a starter to the fray for next season. Continue to stay with us for the up to date rumors and transactions.

Update Per Jon Heyman: “Pirates got Yordi Rosario in Nova deal. Plus 500K in int’l $”

*Check back later for more on Rosario