Milwaukee Brewers: The Price For Quintana Was Not Worth It

Fans of the Milwaukee Brewers should be breathing a sigh of relief after seeing what the price tag for getting Jose Quintana was sold for.

If the Milwaukee Brewers followed the mold that Chicago Cubs did, they would be giving up their top two prospects, Lewis Brinson and Corey Ray, plus other prospects.

The conversation would more than likely have included Josh Hader as well.  Other names that could possibly have been in conversation are Brett Phillips, Mauricio Dubon, Isan Diaz, and others.  Not all at once, but it is a bargaining process.  That means they would all be brought up, not included.

The haul the White Sox took from the Cubs was OF Eloy Jimenez and RHP Dylan Cease, their top two prospects.  In addition to two other young guys, Matt Rose and Bryant Flete.  Both of them play infield.

That is par for the course for the White Sox who have been the model to follow when rebuilding an organization.  After this trade, the have several of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects.  By ranking, they now hold the number one, eight, eleven, twenty-three, twenty-eight, thirty-six, fifty-nine, sixty-three, and sixty-eight prospects.

What is even more astounding is that Quintana is not having a good season.  He was the ace of that White Sox staff, carrying a 4.49 ERA.  The 4-8 record is a reflection of a bad team.  But he is also on pace to set a career high in walks.  By a lot.  Through just the first half, he walked 40.  His career high in any season prior is 56.

Quintana established himself as one of the better pitchers, especially lefties, over the years.  But a poor season really puts in to question how his price tag was so high.  Maybe a scene change will help him.  The sad part is that it is hard to call White Sox to Cubs a change of scenery.  Same town, new uniform.  But it could do the trick.

Based on what he sold for, it is a good thing that the Milwaukee Brewers did not trade for Quintana.  They have too good a farm system to be depleted by a move for a pitcher currently holding an ERA in the mid fours.  However, that raises the price tag for Sonny Gray.

Next: Should The Brewers Worry About The Cubs?

With that being said, it opens up the discussion about what moves should be made by the Milwaukee Brewers.  A division opponent just made it clear they are trying to compete now, and as the current first place team, the Brew Crew need to take that as a message.