Chicago Cubs have decisions to make with these team options

Chicago Cubs: A disastrous September has caused some doubts

Jose Quintana has a $11.5 million club option in 2020 with a $1 million buyout. Will this one be picked up? Right now it seems more likely yes than no, but there are arguments for both sides and it is not set in stone by any means.

The 30-year old lefty who was famously acquired from the White Sox for a rather large haul had streaks of greatness before stretches of awfulness. On the whole, he pitched to a 4.68 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.4 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and 10.1 H/9 in 171 innings, which was his lowest since his rookie year.

Note that he had a 3.90 ERA going into September before he really fell off the rails. Also worth noting in that September he had .447 BABIP against and .352 BABIP against in the second half with a 3.53 FIP compared to a 5.40 ERA.

The overall 3.80 FIP and 4.68 ERA is an 88 point difference, which is fairly big. So no, there was no consistency, but it could be argued Quintana saw some tough luck with balls in play (go back and watch the tape) but he still just did not miss enough bats late in the season.

So is he worth bringing back? It could all depend on what moves they make for starters. Though bringing back Quintana for $11.5 million to be their four or five starter feels like a perfectly fine thing to do. Improvements can still be made while picking up his option. This can go either way.