For the past few weeks the Pittsburgh Pirates have been tied to White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana in trade talks. So, what should the Pirates offer to the White Sox for Quintana?
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Jose Quintana have been connected for a few weeks now. Despite this, in recent days trade rumors had died down. However, talk picked up once again yesterday.
Sources: #WhiteSox engaged in daily trade discussions on Quintana. #Pirates, #Astros involved, possibly others. #Yankees appear longshot.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 4, 2017
As you can see in the Tweet above, according to Rosenthal, the White Sox remain engaged in daily trade talks surrounding Quintana. One of the teams they are discussing him with most are the Pirates, while the Astros and Yankees remain in play as well.
There has been a lot of debate speculation about what the Pirates would have to give up to acquire Jose Quintana. There have been a lot of reports that the Pirates can not acquire Quintana without giving up either outfield prospect Austin Meadows or first baseman Josh Bell.
Personally, I am not willing to trade Meadows or Bell for anyone. They are the lone two un-touchables in the Pirate system, in my opinion. So people may say that without moving one of these two the Pirates can not acquire Quintana, but this is something I do not agree with.
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The reason I do not agree with that is due to the Pirates very strong farm system. While Austin Meadows is the Pirates’ top prospect, Tyler Glasnow is not far behind. After all, Meadows and Glasnow are two of the top ten prospects in all of baseball.
If I were Neal Huntington, I would begin a trade offer for Quintana with Glasnow as the centerpiece. After this, I would look to add hitting prospects. The White Sox have been very active in refilling their farm system this offseason. However, outside of Yoan Moncada, most of the major pieces they have added have been pitchers.
One prospect of the Pirates that the White Sox have been reported to be interested in is infielder Kevin Newman. It is easy to see why the White Sox would be interested in Newman. In 457 plate appearances split between High-A and Double-A last season Newman slashed .320/.389/.426/.814 to go along with a 139 wRC+. Newman also began to flash power last season collecting 30 extra base hits.
Kevin Newman is also one of the top-50 prospects in all of baseball. This would give the White Sox two top-50 prospects, one a hitter, one a pitcher, and one of which is a top-10 prospect. In my opinion, that is a great starting point in a potential Jose Quintana trade.
There are two other Minor League players I would offer the White Sox in this trade. Both of them are among the Pirates top-10 prospects. Additionally, they are also both position players.
The two players I am talking about are catching prospect Elias Diaz and third base prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes. The White Sox are in need of a young catcher, and Diaz fits that bill. Additionally, with Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart both under team control through at least 2018, the Pirates do not have a need for Diaz.
As for Hayes, he is a really good young hitter that would be enticing to a team like the White Sox that are looking to load up with young talent. Last year at High-A the 19-year old Hayes slashed .263/.319/.393/.712 with a .324 wOBA and a 104 wRC+.
While Hayes numbers are not spectacular, he was still slightly above league average as a hitter. Additionally, he was at a very advanced league for his age and battles some injuries throughout the course of the season. Hayes still has a very bright future as a hitter.
If I were Neal Huntington this is the offer I would make to the Chicago White Sox for Jose Quintana. Starting pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow, infield prospect Kevin Newman, catching prospect Elias Diaz, and third base prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes.
In my opinion, this is a very strong offer for Quintana. It is also a trade that if I were White Sox GM Rick Hahn I would accept. A starting rotation of Gerrit Cole, Jose Quintana, Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova, and Chad Kuhl would be one of the three or four best in the National League. Adding Quintana would very much so make the Pirates postseason contenders once again.
