New York Yankees Trade Rumors: Huge Jose Quintana Deal In The Works?
New York Yankees trade rumors indicate a pursuit of All-Star starting pitcher Jose Quintana. The Yankees have reportedly already been in contact with the Chicago White Sox and MLB analysts feel that the teams could match up very well for a deal. A report by MLB analyst Jon Morosi stated that the Yankees are interested in Quintana and that the White Sox are interested in the type of prospects that the Yankees have to offer in a possible deal.
Morosi also noted that Quintana originated from the Yankees, spending four years in the farm system. Fans won’t like to hear that he got released after going 10-2 with 2.91 ERA for Class A Tampa in 2011. Since then, Quintana has found a lot of success with the White Sox, making him one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the trade market. As the White Sox continue what has been called a “fire sale” by many baseball fans, Quintana could be the next player sent to a new team.
These New York Yankees trade rumors indicate that the front office still isn’t pleased with how the starting rotation looks. The lure of Jose Quintana isn’t just that he could help anchor the pitching staff, but also because he comes with a lot of team control. Quintana will make $7 million during the 2017 MLB season and then $8.85 million in 2018. Quintana also has a $10.5 million club option for 2019 and an $11.5 million club option for 2020. That works out to about $37.85 million over the next four years, making him a great bargain in an expensive market.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Chicago White Sox just dealt Cy Young candidate Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. This was a move to help stock the Minor League system with a lot of additional talent. In order to pry Jose Quintana away from the White Sox, though, the Yankees may have to overpay for his services. The deals of Sale and outfielder Adam Eaton brought in elite prospects from the Red Sox and Washington Nationals. There is no reason to expect that the White Sox would then sell Quintana at a discount when the market is working in favor of teams selling pitching.
The Yankees are likely in the middle of a bidding war, as teams like the Houston Astros are also looking to add starting pitching. Quintana could certainly give the Astros a huge boost, as the starting rotation was a bit suspect during the 2016 MLB season. The Astros also have some great young assets that could convince the White Sox to make a deal with them.
In five seasons with the White Sox, Quintana has started 151 games, posting a combined record of 46-46. Quintana has not found the run support of other ace starting pitchers, despite posting impressive numbers across the board. In 951 career innings, Quintana has a 3.41 ERA and 1.242 WHIP. He also strikes out 7.4 batters per nine innings. During the 2016 MLB season, Quintana allowed even fewer baserunners than usual, posting an impressive WHIP of just 1.163 over 208 innings of work. This was his fourth consecutive season of pitching 200 innings or more.
While it appears that the Yankees are done in free agency this offseason, with the big acquisition coming when Aroldis Chapman signed a long-term deal, the front office is still looking around for pitching. Jose Quintana does seem like a good fit on the roster, but it is going to be an expensive transaction that gives up a lot of young talent. If general manager Brian Cashman feels that the team is close to contending, then these latest New York Yankees trade rumors might lead to something big taking place within the next few weeks.
[Featured Image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]
