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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 1: Nathan Eovaldi #30 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on July 1, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Report: Yankees and Pirates Discuss Nathan Eovaldi Trade

Trade rumors continue to swirl around the New York Yankees organization.

The Yankees and Pirates have discussed a trade which would send Nathan Eovaldi to Pittsburgh, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

After starting the season with an impressive 6-2 record, Eovaldi began to struggle mightily. The 26-year-old lost four consecutive starts, all of which he allowed four or more earned runs.

Eovaldi’s struggles forced the Yankees to move him to the bullpen. After three solid appearances out of the bullpen, manager Joe Girardi decided to insert him back into the starting rotation. Eovaldi is scheduled to make his first start of the second half on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles.

If the Yankees do decide to be sellers this summer, they could end up being a good trade partner with the Pirates. Here’s why:

With pitchers such as Jon Niese and Jeff Locke struggling this season, the Pirates clearly have a void to fill in their starting rotation. The Pirates had interest in acquiring Eovaldi from the Miami Marlins in 2014, but were unable to strike a deal.

The Pirates organization also has had a history of fixing struggling pitchers that they acquire, such as A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano. They could see a lot of potential in Eovaldi, who does has the talent but just hasn’t been consistent.

Additionally, the 26-year-old also is under club control until after the 2017 season, which would provide the Pirates a fix in their rotation for more than just the remainder of the season.

The Yankees continue to look to get younger, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them trade away some assets to acquire some good prospects. Eovaldi could get a nice return back, as teams will see potential in him given his high-90s fastball and very good ground ball rate.

Pittsburgh has some young starting pitchers who could draw trade interest from the Yankees. In order to acquire Eovaldi, Biertempfel suggests that the Pirates would most likely have to part ways with one of their up-and-coming starting pitchers, such as Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl, or Trevor Williams.

These trade talks could definitely become interesting as the trade deadline looms closer. If anything, the reported trade talks show the Yankees are definitely monitoring the trade market for any possible ways they can improve before the trade deadline.