Other, Other Jose Quintana landing spots

Welcome in fam, it’s your buddy BeefLoaf.  I woke up extra early this morning, excited for more White Sox trades only to realize nothing has happened in awhile.  I re-read Brian Bilek’s (@BrianBilek_) article on the possible Q landing spots and in the article, he’s got 7 spots for Q to “potentially” land Rangers, Dodgers, Rockies, Yankees, Astros, Braves and Pirates.  Some of these landing spots have flaws, but these are the ones that have been in the news so those were the ones covered.  I enjoyed the article, but those solutions are too obvious, so I decide to write about the 5 teams that aren’t getting mentioned as landing spots, but I think would be fun ones.

Baltimore Orioles  

Of all the teams in MLB, there isn’t a team (even the Astros) who are more in need of Jose Quintana than the Baltimore Orioles.  The main problem is, they don’t have the farm system to truly acquire Q, so you have to think outside the box and accept lots of “depth” in the deal………….doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but this deal looks starts something like this…..C Chance Sisco (that’s fun to say), P Dylan Bundy, SS Ryan Mountcastle, 2 to 3 lottery tickets………..and 3,000 Isiah Whitlock Jr. bobbleheads (I’m not like MSS, I have no use for bobbleheads, this is the only one I own and its glorious).

  I know, I know, Dylan Bundy was in the majors last year, but he’s under control until 2022 and the O’s have done nothing but get the kid hurt, the White Sox on the other hand are the absolute best at keep pitchers healthy (from the tutelage of two of the healthiest looking guys on earth, Don Cooper and Herm Schneider).  Bundy is a top end talent and his pedigree and upside are that of a #1 starter.  He’s still only 24, so this could work.  Chance Sisco is somewhat like Zack Collins, bat first catcher that you hope stays behind the plate………but he’s much more likely to actually do so.  The rest is depth/lottery tix, but so what, we are dreaming on lower probability deals and here is one.

Oakland Athletics  

When we put this question out on twitter a few weeks ago, this was one of the more interesting teams we got, so I thought on it and I can’t think of a reason why Billy Beane and crew wouldn’t throw their hat in the ring at this juncture.  The 2017 A’s look like they are signing players to try and win 82 games this year…….adding Q would get them to 86, so not shabby, still in the mix somewhat.  This deal starts with SS Franklin Barreto and effectively clears out the A’s farm with the rest.  The A’s haven’t gone with the conventional tank rebuild, but if they wanted to start and stretch their next window out beyond the current M’s/Rangers/Astros best chances, this could start it.  Not to mention, Beane realizes that they can use Q to go for the playoffs now and then trade him in 2 years for another haul of prospects.  These super wonky teams will be looking at moving their next competing window and the exit value of a guy like Q is very handy.  Lastly, I hope Frankie Montas comes back in this trade, I heard he got a rib removed like Marilyn Manson so he can………….pitch better 🙂

Tampa Rays  

Similar to the A’s, the Rays could stop shopping Chris Archer, and trade for Q and become the monster run prevention team that were supposed to be last year.  They should still have room for a 1 year deal for Jose Bautista or some other bat that gives them enough offense.  Q is perfect for them.  Again, you’d take 1 big headliner here SS Willy Adames and a bunch of solid prospects (the Rays system is better than the A’s).  Jason Benetti will have to buy season tix and sit next to Dick Vitale as part of the deal (because lets be honest, nobody else wants to sit next to Dicky V and I doubt anyone else even has Rays season tix).  Personally, we would love to see a Q lead Rays team, edge out the Sale lead Red Sox for the AL East.  Some of my favorite non-White Sox baseball memories of the last decade are those 2008 Rays getting into fights almost daily with the Red Sox and then beating their ass for the AL pennant!

Chicago Cubs  

Sprots radio would asplode if the Cubs and Sox made a deal that helped both teams.  This deal would.  Q’s contract fits the Cubs window beautifully.  Let’s be honest, the Cubs aren’t going to pay Jake Arrieta aka Jake Loaiza (in the 108, we call him Jake Loaiza, as he had that one fantastic year that made you think he was much better than he is……….SN, our Cubs fans friends hate this, but fuck them).  If I am Jed Hoyer, I am NOT counting on Kyle Hendricks being that g00t again and John Lackey is 137 years old (coincidentally the same age that Joe Louis was when he fought Rocky Marciano), so again, you need pitching reinforcements.  Now that Theo is done with his bender, he can also see that this makes total sense.  Since the Cubs aren’t going to trade any major league talent, the White Sox end up scoring Ian Happ, Eloy Jimenez and others.  This is the most likely trade of the bunch and truthfully, I think the Cubs are more likely than some of the teams actually linked to Q in the media.

New York Mets  

We always end up back talking about the Wilpons……….you are probably thinking, how the fk are the Mets a fit, they have nothing but young pitching……well, stfu for a minute and let the Loaf school you on something.  The Mets young pitching collapsed in a heap of whimpering and injuries last year, in the end, the only one still standing was Bartolo Colon………..well, Colon is in Atlanta now, so who is going to gobble up those innings to keep you from being too exposed to Addison Reed?  This is what we call risk mitigation, fam………enter Q, who doesn’t get hurt, throws 200 IP each year and is awesome otherwise.  The Mets window is right flipping now, so they need this badly.  What’s interesting is how complicated this deal could get……..the Mets could also undoubtedly use DRob or Nate Jones………and as much as they don’t want to admit it, David Wright is gust of wind or an over enthusiastic pornhub session away from his back turning into mush again, so Todd Frazier has to be in this deal.  The deal looks something like, Mets get Q, thaBlockfather and DRob………….Sox get Amed Rosario, Robert Gsellman, Michael Conforto (I know they say he’s not for sale, but they treat him worse than Michael Vick treats dogs) and a few lotterias.  As I think about this more, I remember that the Wilpons shit away a big chunk of their future with Bernie Madoff, so the Sox may need to sweeten the proverbial pot, but picking up what’s left of Bobby Bonilla‘s annuity (which pays him $1.19M annually through 2035) and by agreeing to help Kramer and Newman with Keith Hernandez‘ next move.

– BeefLoaf