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Chicago Cubs acquire Jose Quintana in trade with Chicago White Sox

By Dan Schmelzer

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 22: Jose Quintana #62 of the Chicago White Sox delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the game on June 22, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 22: Jose Quintana #62 of the Chicago White Sox delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the game on June 22, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Whoa! The Chicago Cubs have sent a big haul of prospects to the Chicago White Sox for starting pitcher Jose Quintana.

BREAKING NEWS! The Chicago Cubs have acquired starting pitcher Jose Quintana from the Chicago White Sox, the team announced. In exchange, the White Sox acquire top prospect Eloy Jimenez, top pitching prospect Dylan Cease and infielders Matt Rose and Bryant Flete.

The Cubs have been aggressively looking to add a top of the line starting pitcher to the mix and Quintana undoubtedly fits the bill. Most importantly, Quintana is under reasonable team control through the 2020 season.

Not only does he tremendously help them right now, he will be an important part of the immediate future. The Cubs will be losing Jake Arrieta and John Lackey in free agency this offseason, leaving only Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks as the stable pieces in the rotation. Now that they have Quintana, that rotation looks much better for 2017 and beyond.

Quintana has been incredibly consistent for the White Sox over the years. He has never posted an ERA over 3.76 through the first five years of his career. His mark never went over 3.51 since he became a full-time member of the rotation in 2013.

However, he has had his fair share of struggles this season, posting an ERA mark of 4.49 through 18 starts thus far. That being said, Quintana has pitched much better recently and appears primed for a strong second half.

The Chicago Cubs undoubtedly got a strong player here. Most importantly, they made a move that allows them to compete in 2017 and beyond.

However, when you trade for quality, you have to give quality up. In this deal, the Cubs sent far and away their top prospect in the minor leagues. Eloy Jimenez is a stud player with a huge offensive ceiling at the major league level. Jimenez was ranked as the fifth best prospect in baseball, in the most recent update of the top 100 prospects by Baseball America. The guy is a stud. There is no other way around it.

Also on that list is Cease, who is ranked as the 83rd best prospect in the game by Baseball America. Cease is a high-upside starting pitcher who could legitimately be an MLB ace. However, he is still in the lower levels of the minor leagues and will not be able to help the Cubs anytime soon. Honestly, I have never heard of the other two players the White Sox acquired, Matt Rose and Bryant Flete.

Next: Under-the-radar trade deadline targets for Cubs

Obviously, there is a lot to unpack here. This is a big move by both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Keep checking in at Da Windy City for updates and everything you need to know about this trade.

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