Jose Quintana reportedly not an option for the Astros
The Astros are reportedly out of the Jose Quintana sweepstakes, time to move on!
The Houston Astros were rumored to be trying to acquire Jose Quintana during the winter meetings. There were reports that the two teams were deep into trade discussions, but the Astros backed away. It was later reported that the White Sox wanted a huge package for the talented left-handed pitcher.
.@BNightengale says on @MLBNetworkRadio that talks between #Astros and White Sox over Quintana have "shut down." No deal imminent, though.
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) December 27, 2016
Peter Gammons reported that the proposed package was Kyle Tucker, Francis Martes, and Joe Musgrove. Not saying that Quintana was not worth that package, but the Astros decided not to pull the trigger. For me, the Musgrove part was the deal breaker.
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The White Sox did very well for themselves with the two trades they made, so you can’t blame them for shooting high for Quintana. They could expedite their rebuild with one or two more trades. They don’t have to trade Quintana, who has pitched 200 plus innings over the past five years. Still, there was some hope that they would still be able to work out a deal.
It made sense for both sides to make the deal, but it has dragged out deep into December. Is there still a chance the Astros could add Quintana to strengthen the team further? It’s only a matter of will the White Sox lower their price for Jose Quintana but is unlikely now.
No more Q to the Astros talk.
Today, according to Bob Nightengale, the Astros have officially dropped out of the Jose Quintana sweepstakes. His description was that the talks were shut down. There is no impending deal with any other team, but Houston is out. Then Nightengale Tweeted that the Yankees have expanded their target to include David Robertson as well. In other words, the Yankees could be about to pull off a blockbuster.
The #Yankees have expanded their Jose Quintana talks with #Whitesox that would include closer David Robertson, if Sox eat part of contract
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 27, 2016
These rumors make sense for the Yankees. The Red Sox have improved their team this offseason. After being sellers last year, the Yankees could return to former glory with a few more moves. The Yankees acquired many talented young prospects last year, but they could be heading to the White Sox soon.
If the Astros are really out on Quintana, the price was probably too much. While Jeff Luhnow may value his prospects way too much, we trust that he knows what he is doing. In Luhnow we trust right?
Like the Edwin Encarnacion saga, this information puts an end to the Jose Quintana speculation as well. Maybe it’s time to move on or switch to another target. Maybe a Rays or Royals pitcher. Is it April yet?
***Stats from Baseball-Reference***