Chicago Cubs: Revisiting the Jose Quintana deal with some perspective

Are the Cubs better off than they were a year ago?

Swinging back to the present, and where the Cubs sit, the trade for Jose Quintana was worth it.

Sure, Eloy Jimenez, and maybe Dylan Cease for that matter should be productive if not great at the next level, once they develop. However, much of the time prospects are far from a sure thing.

The excellent thing about the Cubs and the talent level on the roster currently is that the entire roster is in their prime. The average age of the active roster is just above 28 years old, mainly due to the outlier that is Ben Zobrist. Despite this fact, the backbone of this team isn’t yet 25 or are just passed that point.

A long-term answer

The team has a bevy of depth, and similar to how it would have been difficult at the time for the Cubs in finding a place for Gleyber Torres, the Cubs did not have a spot for Jimenez, which made the decision an easy one to ship him out.

Jose Quintana is also under team control for the next three years for the Cubs. At $8,850,000 this season, as well as $10,500,000 over the subsequent two seasons, the team has set itself up nicely.

Next: Cubs sweep Brewers behind another quality start

The left-hander isn’t flashy. He doesn’t draw the accolades of someone like Yu Darvish or former Cub Jake Arrieta. But he’s one of the more underrated quality arms in the game. Further more, he’s a stable anchor for this rotation. The best part? He’ll keep getting better. His last time out against Milwaukee, he tossed seven scoreless.

In other words, Cubs fans won’t lose faith in Jose Quintana anytime soon.