Our weekly look at one item tying together the Red Sox' AL East rivals takes a look at Tampa, where the Yankees are getting primed for what figures to be a very interesting season in the Bronx. Here is one player who could change things dramatically for the club going forward.
Much has been made of the lack of starting pitching depth in New York. The whiff on Cliff Lee and the retirement of Andy Pettitte left the Yankees with A.J. Burnett, coming off a dismal season, as the No. 3 starter for the richest team in baseball.
After Burnett, it's somewhat of a crapshoot. Several candidates are hoping to pick up starts. While veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon are off to a nice start in their personal bids, one of the youngsters, Ivan Nova, has been the most impressive.
Nova has struck out two and yielded just three hits (no walks) in five scoreless innings this spring. He looked pretty good at times last season when he pitched in 10 games — seven starts — for the Yankees in the second half, but the 24-year-old was extremely good at the Triple-A level and there is some thought that he could develop this year into a reliable No. 4 or 5 guy in the rotation.
If not, the options dwindle for manager Joe Girardi, and may prompt general manager Brian Cashman to remain active in pursuit of more starting pitching.
