Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jose Quintana had a great outing on Tuesday night agains the vaunted Yankees offense. Could the Red Sox or Blue Jays trade for him?
Quintana has been linked to several contending teams, and is seen by some insiders as the most likely Pittsburgh Pirate to be traded at the deadline.
In fact, Quintana was likely signed for exactly that reason. Pittsburgh inked the veteran to a rental deal, and he has far exceeded expectations. This means he’ll net a few prospects depending on the market for starting pitching come early August.
Quintana pitched just over five innings, giving up six hits and a lone earned run against a New York lineup that featured the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The Bucs bullpen took care of the rest.
Jose Quintana rumors: Could Blue Jays, Red Sox land him?
Quintana’s success against the Yanks, even in a limited sample size, could be enough to attract teams that need pitching upgrades anyway.
MLB insider Jon Morosi speculated that the Blue Jays could be interested, given their recent starting pitching struggles. Look no further than Charlie Montoyo calling out Yusei Kikuchi on Tuesday night.
Outside of Toronto, Boston could also be of interest. While the Red Sox haven’t been directly linked to Quintana yet, they do need starting pitching. Chris Sale remains an uncertainty. Nathan Eovaldi is far from stable. Arguably their best pitcher, Tanner Houck, was moved to the bullpen. And as much as Boston fans want to believe Brayan Bello is a savior for the rotation, odds are he could use some help.
Quintana will not come cheap, but he’s unlikely to cost as much as, say, Luis Castillo or Frankie Montas, who could also be moved at the deadline.