How Jose Quintana could be an exciting Addition to the Blue Jays

We have been long discussing which players the Blue Jays could look to add this off-season, and a common theme that keeps garnering attention is the need for a middle of rotation pitcher who can make an impact. Pitchers that fit that description are available on the free-agent market this summer, and the Jays look to be in a position to be aggressive.

An exciting name who might not gain as much attention as guys like Odorizzi or Paxton is Jose Quintana, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a good fit on the Blue Jays.

Quintana has been a starting pitcher his entire big-league career except for last season, an outlier due to an injury. He has played few seasons with the Chicago Cubs, putting up 13-win seasons in 2018 and 2017.

He owns a career ERA of 3.73 in 247 career starts. One of his most impressive, and something that could draw serious interest from a team like the Blue Jays, is his ability to eat up innings.

The Blue Jays have a good bullpen, but it’s not elite. It’s not likely to scare many of the league’s best hitting teams, so adding another pitcher you can count on going 6-7 innings every five games is enormous. Quintana has pitched over 200 innings in three seasons in his career and has thrown more than 170 innings each season of his career besides last season and his rookie year.

Although not exact, you can see some similarities between Quintana and recently re-signed pitcher Robbie Ray. Both have reliable track records of effective starting pitchers who didn’t have the most successful 2020 season.

Ray signed back with the Blue Jays for 8 million dollars on a one-year contract. There was the familiarity between the two in that negotiation that won’t be there with Quintana. However, if he is willing to sign for something around 8-9 million per season, it could be a great fit.

For a player who will 32 by the time the 2021 season gets underway, he’s yet another player that likely would fit the Blue Jays best on a one or two-year deal. Age isn’t the only factor, as the Jays do have some exciting young pitchers in their system who will need spots to compete in a couple of years. Whether or not Quintana is priority number one for the Jays is up to Atkins and his management staff. Still, if they decide to go after some big-name position players (Springer or even a trade for Lindor), Quintana could be an excellent option at a lower price than Odorizzi and Paxton.

The Blue Jays have options, and it will be exciting to see which avenue they decide to pursue.