Yankees Should Trade These Five Prospects for Jose Quintana
Aug 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) reacts in the third inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Yankees. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The rumor right now is that the Yankees are interested in the White Sox’ RHP Jose Quintana. They should make this trade happen if—as they say—the price is right.Pitching makes the baseball world go round. If you have it, you can still be playing as late as November. Remember 2015? The Cubs had a far better team than the Mets but Our Little Brothers (a Yankees term of affection for the Mets) had the better pitching. The Cubbies took their 97 wins home to dream of 2016.But having pitchers is not what managers and owners need. No, what they really want is surety. The concept of Michael Pineda is extraordinary. His combination of size, skills and success makes any team salivate. They all know he could go out on any day and be the best pitcher in baseball.However, every fifth day when he takes the ball, he adds one more gray hair to Joe Girardi’s head and brings Hal Steinbrenner one day closer to retirement. Why? Because they never know what he will be: boom or bust.This is the same reason the Yankees should be concerned about relying on farm hands. They have an impressive list of highly valued pitching prospects. But those players have won a collective zero games in the majors.There seems an ephemeral quality to both pitching success and predicting that success. Again, look at our OLB in Queens. One year their pitching carries them to the World Series and the next it completely breaks down. Right now, you can only trust the Rays and the Mets with any real pitching predictive skills and neither has won a WS because of them.Next: Why Acquire Quintana? Sep 18, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jose OleThis is all why the Yankees are and of rights aught to be interested in Jose Quintana. He has a proven track record in the majors. His career ERA is 3.41 but he has pitched better than that the last three years. He has pitched a minimum of 200 innings four straight years. He is only 27 and is under team control for four more years.And he has been pitching in the American League Central, which is no stranger to great hitting teams. Not only do the Sox face the Tigers roughly 19 times a year, but he pitches in the same division that sent the last three AL representatives to the World Series.With Quintana as their number two, the Yankees could be a very exciting team in 2017. Their biggest problem last year was the middle of the order. This year, they will have Gary Sanchez from the beginning, not that anyone expects him to put up the same numbers over the course of the year. They will also have Greg Bird and Matt Holiday. Even if Aaron Judge never makes it, this troika should do better than last year’s.That means they will have a great bullpen and a top ten middle of the order. That just leaves starting pitching. The Yankees have to believe dreams might become reality if they can somehow field a reliable group of starters. But, what price glory?Next: What Would the Prospect Package Look Like? Oct 18, 2016; Mesa, AZ, USA; Scottsdale Scorpions pitcher James Kaprielian of the New York Yankees against the Mesa Solar Sox during an Arizona Fall League game at Sloan Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
And David PhelpsMy first option would be five minor league pitchers for Quintana. The only one completely off the table is James Kaprielian. But other than that, hey, go crazy. The White Sox want Justus Sheffield, Dietrich Enns, Chance Adams, Domingo Acevedo and Albert Abreu? Have at itI know some fans will disagree (see Comments Section). But there is a real possibility that none of those pitchers ever does as well as Quintana. The best bet is that two of those never makes the majors, one becomes a fifth starter, and the other two become relievers.I love what Enns and Adams have done and absolutely dream on what they could be. Just as I did for Manny Banuelos. And Zach McAlister and Jose Campos and Ivan Nova and Joba Chamberlain.But reality is Quintana.My second option is two position players and three pitching prospects. The Yankees know that very few prospects become stars. Is Austin Jackson even in baseball anymore? Even if he is, you get the point. They might decide that to get Jose, they might need to look deeply into their crystal balls to see who is the least fairest of them all. And if I were looking, the one name I would definitely see is Jorge Mateo.Of the Yankees five biggest position player prospects, he seems most likely not to make it. From most likely to least likely, the list goes: Gleyber Torres, Blake Rutherford, Clint Frazier, Jorge Mateo and Aaron Judge. Judge has to be here because of his truncated audition. But the potential payoff if Judge does make it is so phenomenally high that the Yankees have made it clear he is going nowhere. That leaves Mateo.Next: What Makes Mateo Expendable? Mar 7, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Jorge Mateo (93) and second baseman Tyler Wade (94) collide in the infield as Wade catches the fly ball for the out during the fifth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
Two Strikes and You’re OutHe has two factors working against him. One, his attitude. The only thing worse than a successful minor league player is a successful major leaguer. Just ask any team Hanley Ramirez has played on. They can help you win games but eventually ruin the locker room; a Pyrrhic victory.The other is his play on the field. He seemed less dynamic this year than last and never forced his way to the next level. I know the Yankees had a shortstop they liked at Double A (Tyler Wade). But if Mateo had played as he seems capable, no player would have blocked him. He could have forced the big club to act but he did not. Maybe it is time to capitalize on his high prospect status before he loses it.But if he goes, the Sox get three pitchers. They can have any three they want outside of Kaprelian. And they might need a kicker, as well. A kicker is a player who is highly ranked but with a limited ceiling. So the Sox can have Tyler Wade, Rob Refsnyder or Hoy Jun Park. My preference is Billy McKinney as he seems to be a PTP (Professional Trade Piece).Related Story: The Yankees Annual Food Drive Gave Reason to cheer in DecemberThe Yankees have prospects and not all of them will be successful. I want them to keep the vast majority of them, especially the position players. But they cannot keep all of their pitchers unless they plan to have a fifteen man rotation.Next: 2017 Yankees Top 20 Prospects with Scouting ReportsYour browser does not support iframes.Jose Quintana is worth trading for and a five-for-one is fine with me. Losing five pitching prospects will not make the 2018 Yankees any less promising. But getting Jose Quintana will make the 2017 Yankees a lot more exciting.That is the definition of a good trade.More from Yanks Go YardYankees Trade Nick Goody to the Indians for a PTBNL2h agoYankees Talk: Give Greg Bird Some Time to Replace Mark Teixeira3h agoYankees Rumors: NY Still “Would Love” to Trade Chase Headley5h agoJose Quintana Will Cost the Yankees an Arm and a Leg8h agoYankees Rumors: Jose Quintana Blockbuster in the Works?11h agoThis article originally appeared on
