Chicago Cubs: Looking at trade partners for Jose Quintana

The Chicago Cubs front office is in a rather tricky place heading into the  offseason and could look to trade Jose Quintana to address other areas.

Sure, the Chicago Cubs have created some extra payroll space by declining options on the likes of Brandon Morrow, Kendall Graveman, David Phelps and Derek Holland. Cole Hamels is a free agent, as are Brandon Kintzler, Pedro Strop and Steve Cishek.

Even still, most indications point to the Cubs spending around the edges this year, rather than making a big splash. Team owner Tom Ricketts continues to suggest that the Cubs will not be big spenders and the payroll flexibility is inhibited by big contracts given to Jason Heyward and Yu Darvish, amongst others.

There is also the notion (posited in part by Theo Epstein) that the Cubs are in need of a shakeup in order to rebalance some of the talent distribution throughout the organization.

Though there has been plenty of discussion surrounding the likes of Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber as possible trade assets, Jose Quintana will be another name to watch.

Trading Quintana could net young talent while also clearing even more payroll. Do not be surprised if Epstein is pursuing such a move.

Chicago Cubs: What exactly is Quintana’s value?

This is a hard question to answer. Since 2016, Quintana actually ranks 16th in fWAR among all pitchers, just behind Kyle Hendricks. If nothing else, he has been extremely steady.

The Cubs made the smart move in accepting Quintana’s $11.5 million club option for this season. There is a good chance that he will be considered a staple of the rotation.

Yet, his last two seasons with the Cubs have felt like disappointments, in part because they gave up a pair of top prospects (Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease) to acquire him from the White Sox in 2017.

Quintana posted a 4.03 ERA in 2018 and a 4.68 ERA in 2019 after he collapsed in September. He has had his moments, but ultimately has not been able to be that dependable No. 3 type guy–with upside–that the Cubs thought they were getting.

In spite of the September shenanigans, however, Quintana’s peripherals stacked up pretty well against his 2017 campaign, in part because he slashed his walk rate.

His velocity may be declining, but Quintana has been effective using the cut fastball and mixing in his curveball. Not to mention, he was never a power pitcher in the first place.

Quintana will be 31 in January, so he is still pretty young. He also projects well in terms of longevity because he relies more on finesse.

Most importantly, he has a very tradable salary at a time where a number of contenders need quality starting pitching. However, he will also be a free agent after the 2020 season.

With that in mind, who are the teams that would be the likeliest trade partners for the Cubs?

Chicago Cubs: Tomahawk Chop for Quintana?

The Atlanta Braves are another team in high demand for starting pitching after they declined Julio Teheran‘s option and will have to navigate Dallas Keuchel‘s free agency.

Atlanta’s ownership group–Liberty Media–are not the most keen spenders in free agency, which could make for a fruitful partnership with the Cubs. After all, the Braves possess a number of top-level prospects that the Cubs could pursue.

But would the Cubs risk trading Quintana to another National League contender? Granted, the Braves are not in the NL Central, but the question is relevant all the same.

Other NL teams–like the Padres–could make for good fits as well, but the Braves might be in the most pressing situation.

Regardless, there is sure to be a market for Quintana. There is a real shortage of quality starters on the market, and simultaneously a large number of teams that need help in the rotation.

The Cubs may have picked up Quintana’s option, but they could just as easily look to flip him. Anything and everything is on the table this winter – as I’m sure we’ll all learn.