The New York Yankees and right-handed starter Ivan Nova will avoid arbitration, with Nova signing a one-year deal virtually identical to the one he signed last winter.
The one-year deal will be worth about $3.3 million, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Nova went 2-2 in four starts in 2014 before suffering a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow on April 19. Nova underwent Tommy John surgery (performed by sports injury specialist Dr. James Andrews) on April 27, ruling him out for the rest of the 2014 season, but his recovery has reportedly been on schedule. Nova began throwing again in September, and could be able to return to the Yankees lineup by April or May.
The Yankees still have some question marks in their 2015 pitching rotation, and they continue to flirt with free agent starters Max Scherzer and James Shields. GM Brian Cashman isn't going to be throwing money at pitchers just for the heck of it, but the Yankees have been clear that they're willing to spend on the right player. CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda are the only sure-fire starters who'll be ready for opening day, and there are still plenty of question marks around players like Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Capuano.
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