Why and how the Cleveland Indians should trade for Jose Quintana

Jose Quintana is on the trade block, and the Cleveland Indians have the prospects to bring him in as a number two or three starter to make a playoff push.

All signs point to the Chicago White Sox making Jose Quintana available for the start of the season, and the Cleveland Indians have the prospects to make this work.

Quintana is entering his age-28 season, has decreased his ERA every year from the high-3.00s to low-3.00s, and he is on his way to his first 200-strikeout season. He has also produced a WAR above 4.0 in three of the last four years. He is a top of the rotation, left-handed stud.

What are the Indians waiting for, you might ask? Well, their rotation is pretty set. Carlos Carrasco‘s injury, while a little scary, is not a big deal. Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer look healthy. Corey Kluber is Corey Kluber. Josh Tomlin is about as reliable as they come.

But Quintana is a big upgrade over the last three guys. He would slot in as the number 3 starter easily, and he would push Tomlin to the bullpen or Bauer/Salazar out via trade. Quintana is also under team control until 2020.

The Trades

Trade Possibility #1: Quintana for Bradley Zimmer, Yu-Cheng Chang, and Shawn Armstrong

This trade aligns with what the White Sox are asking for from every other team – a number one prospect, another top-15 prospect, and a third top-50 prospect.

The Tribe lose Bradley Zimmer, their top outfield prospect, an infielder in Yu-Cheng Chang who might never make the club now that the Tribe has their whole infield under control forever, and a pitcher in Shawn Armstrong, who is pushed to the end of the Indians bullpen because of all the talent here.

Trade Possibility #2: Quintana for Brady Aiken, Trevor Bauer, and Erik Gonzalez

If the Indians want to get rid of a starting pitcher, Bauer is the one likely to go. He’s still cheap, young, and could turn into a closer or a top reliever under the right circumstances. He is under team control forever, and the Tribe would not need him if Quintana is in the fold.

Brady Aiken is a former number one overall pick, and no one knows what he will be after undergoing Tommy John surgery a few years back. Erik Gonzalez is never going to stick on the big league roster, so we might as well sell high on him.

Will the Tribe pull the trigger?

If the Indians want to go down the path of acquiring Quintana, they have a lot to consider. Do they want to mess with a rotation that worked? Does it make sense to send someone who thinks they are in the rotation to the bullpen? Would Kluber or Carrasco be negatively impacted by Quintana’s presence?

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The Tribe could almost do this as a defensive move as the New York Yankees are Quintana’s biggest suitors and look good for 2017 and beyond.

Someone like Chang, Gonzalez, or Willi Castro should be available as they are all middle infielders with no chance of making the bigs anytime soon with the contracts and performances of the guys above them. Shipping one or two of them out makes sense.

From a pitching prospect perspective, the Tribe might take a chance on losing a guy like Aiken as they have a lot of their staff under control for a long time. They probably do not want to lose guys like Zimmer or Francisco Mejia or even Bobby Bradley, as the team’s outfield, catcher, and first base situations are not set.

What does a rotation with Quintana look like?

1. Corey Kluber. 2. Carlos Carrasco. 3. Jose Quintana 4. Danny Salazar 5. Trevor Bauer. Does anyone want to face that rotation?

Throw a starting left-hander into the mix, and all of a sudden, the rotation is unstoppable. Think of that playoff rotation: Kluber, Carrasco, Quintana, with Salazar making a start here or there. Bauer gets slotted into the bullpen, where he has been effective in the past.

Next: Breaking down the Opening Day bullpen

All of a sudden, the game gets really short. Starter – Bauer – Miller – Shaw – Allen. It would be pretty incredible.