Chicago Cubs: Jose Quintana still has more to prove

With his first full season on the North Side in the books, Chicago Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana showed he’s still a wild card on the mound.

In a rare trade between crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs acquired Jose Quintana from the Chicago White Sox in 2017 to add depth to the starting rotation.  While bringing a desirable, controlled contract with him, the move cost the Cubs organization a pair of elite prospects in Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease.

After a year where the team saw the departure of promising infielder Gleyber Torres that brought Aroldis Chapman to the eventual 2016 World Series champions (that still feels good to say), the Quintana deal all but depleted the Cubs farm system for the time being – putting them in a precarious situation.

Time will tell to see who the victor was in the trade but Quintana has drawn the ire and criticisms throughout Wrigleyville during his brief tenure due to the price paid in order to acquire the starting pitcher.

Did we give up too much for him?

As of now, the short answer is ‘no’.  Without the benefit of a crystal ball, Quintana is safe from any real scrutiny and premature comparisons to any ill-advised cataclysmic deals à la Lou Brock.

However, that window of any sanctuary is rapidly closing as Jimenez and Cease are all but primed to make a splash in the Majors next season.