Chicago Cubs: 3 players who could be traded with slow start

Jose Quintana

The Jose Quintana deal will likely go down as one of the biggest regrets in the Theo Epstein era. If you recall, the Cubs parted with MLB-top prospect, Eloy Jimenez, along with Dylan Cease and two other prospects. Quintana’s first start in a Cubs’ uniform could not have gone better, striking out 12 Baltimore Orioles in July 2017.

At the time, the trade made a lot of sense, given that the Cubs needed pitching help and were still within their window of contention. However, with Quintana set to hit the free-agent market after this season, he could be an attractive trade piece for a team that needs starting pitching for the second half.

In large part, what makes Quintana so easy to trade is he is inexpensive. Let’s say the Cubs trade him at the deadline; his new team would be responsible for less than half of his remaining $10.5 million. And all of this is not to say that Quintana has been bad during his tenure with the Cubs.

He’s posted a 4.23 ERA in 77 starts with the team, but he hasn’t been the player that most Cubs’ fans thought they were getting when they made the trade. With the White Sox, Quintana posted a 3.51 ERA in 169 starts, which would have put him in the Lester or Kyle Hendricks conversation for a front-end starter.

Quintana could likely get the Cubs a top prospect but no more than one top player or a couple of low-level players in a trade.