If Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman sticks to his word and approaches the upcoming trade deadline as “careful buyers,” the chances of New York discussing business with the Chicago White Sox for their top southpaw are pretty slim.
According to FanRag Sports’ insider Jon Heyman, the price for 28-year-old Jose Quintana remains steep, and the White Sox have reportedly sought Yankees’ top prospects Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier as headliners in a package deal. Chicago has also sought a similar package with the American League-best Houston Astros, Heyman reports.
Per Heyman:
Neither interested team seems prepared to surrender two top-30 prospects in bigger packages – at least not to this point. While price tags as described seem a bit steep, the White Sox understand the starting pitching market isn’t exactly flush with top-echelon starters. A’s star Sonny Gray is the one other frontline starter expected to be moved, and while he may equal Quintana in terms of upside, Gray hasn’t been as dependable and healthy as the ChiSox lefty.
Quintana has been mentioned as a prime trade candidate in the last two seasons, but due to Chicago’s high sticker prices for their lefty, a contending club has yet to finalize a deal for him. The White Sox also aren’t in a rush to move Quintana, as he still has three years left on his contract if club options are exercised in 2019 and 2020.
While Quintana’s control possibly justifies Chicago’s requests, teams haven’t been thrilled with his performance in 2017. In 18 starts, Quintana is 4-8 with a career-high 4.49 ERA, and according to Heyman, the Astros no longer recognize Quintana as a true ace. But, the Yankees may feel differently, as Quintana was once in New York’s farm system.
Regardless, acquiring Quintana would force the Yankees to yield a bevy of prospects. And even though New York is in need of an additional starting pitcher, it’s highly unlikely that Cashman will be inclined to move his best farmhands.
“We have a long-term plan that I think people are seeing the excitement from, and we’re definitely not gonna deviate from that,” Cashman told the YES Network on Sunday. “Part of that long-term plan is in the short-term — winning now and putting out the best effort possible — but not at the expense of what we feel can lead us to more championships.”
The @Yankees will be buyers at the deadline, Brian Cashman tells @RealMichaelKay. pic.twitter.com/3E1B4Nf06X
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 9, 2017
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