THE RUMOR: The New York Yankees are interested in Jose Quintana and they have the sort of prospects the Chicago White Sox are looking for.
REPORTED BY: MLB Network
THE DETAILS: Quintana is due an affordable $6 million next season and is under team control through 2020. The southpaw has hurled 200 innings or more innings in four consecutive seasons, none with an ERA over 3.55.
THIS PAST SEASON: Quintana was 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts across 208 innings en route to his first All-Star honors.
OUR TAKE: Having dealt Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, a full-scale rebuild is looming for the White Sox. Last month they were telling other clubs they’re willing to trade any player on their roster who is under team control for fewer than four years.
Quintana fits that bill and is one of the most underrated starting pitchers in MLB. The only knock against Quintana, who will be 28 next season, is the lack of run support the White Sox have given him in five seasons as he sits with a 46-46 record.
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Chicago landed Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in its trades so far this winter and figures to be shooting high again with the Yankees, who have a re-stocked farm system. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn's asking price for Quintana scared away the Braves and Astros, but New York can headline with fellow southpaw Justus Sheffield for the experienced Quintana, whose 5.2 WAR would slide in behind Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation. With the aging CC Sabathia as the only left-hander in the Yankees rotation, which ranked 19th with a 4.44 ERA this past season, Quintana seems like a good fit.