Cubs Get: Jose Quintana (4-8, 4.49 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 109/40 K/BB, Age 28)
White Sox Get: Eloy Jimenez (8 HR, 32 RBI, .271 AVG, 0 SB, 131 wRC+ at High Class A, Age 20)
Dylan Cease (1-2, 2.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 74/26 K/BB at Class A, Age 21)
Bryant Flete (6 HR, 37 RBI, .305 AVG, 4 SB, 117 wRC+ at High Class A, Age 24)
Matt Rose (14 HR, 38 RBI, .227 AVG, 0 SB, 105 wRC+ at High Class A, Age 22)
The Cubs struggled to a 43-45 record in the first half, but with one of the strongest rosters in baseball, they are still very much looking to contend this season. Due to a lackluster rotation that has seen pretty much every starter underperform, they added the young, controllable Jose Quintana in a deal with the cross-town White Sox. Quintana is under contract through the 2020 season for just over $30 million total, so he can help the team not just this year, but in 2018, 2019, and 2020. One of baseball's more underrated starters, he was one of the best pitchers in the American League in 2016, going 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, striking out 181 batters and walking just 50 in 208 innings. He hasn't been as good in 2017, going 4-8 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, but he has been turning things around as of late. He went 2-7 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP over the first two months of the season, spanning eleven starts, but since the start of June, he is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, striking out 45 batters to just 12 walks in 40 innings over seven starts. In the Cubs current rotation, Jon Lester (5-6, 4.25 ERA), Jake Arrieta (8-7, 4.35 ERA), John Lackey (5-9, 5.20 ERA), and Kyle Hendricks (4-3, 4.09 ERA) have all been disappointing, so the addition of Quintana will be very welcome. Eddie Butler (4-3, 3.88 ERA) actually leads Cubs starters in ERA, so it will be interesting how they decide to go about fitting Quintana into the rotation. For his career, the Colombia native is 50-54 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP over 172 games (169 starts), all with the White Sox.
To get three and a half years of a #2 starter, you're going to have to give up a fair amount, and the Cubs did just that. The White Sox, who already added top prospects Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Dane Dunning, and Luis Alexander Basabe, among others, to their system via recent trades, got a few more here. Highlighting the return package is Eloy Jimenez, a 20 year old outfielder who could be a multi-category contributor in the majors. Always known for his potential, he had a breakout year at Class A South Bend in 2016 (.329/.369/.532, 14 HR) and was promoted to High Class A Myrtle Beach this year, where he was slashing .271/.351/.490 with eight home runs at the time of the trade. He'll be 20 for all of 2017, so he has plenty of time to develop into an impact player. Dylan Cease was a sixth round pick out of high school in 2014 after blowing out his elbow, but has developed into a solid starting pitching prospect, posting a career 2.58 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over parts of three minor league seasons. So far with Class A South Bend this year, he has a 2.79 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP through 13 starts, striking out 74 batters in 51.2 innings. The 6'2" righty won't turn 22 until after the season, and with a mid to upper 90's fastball and a power curveball, he has front of the rotation potential. While Jimenez and Cease are the clear headliners, second baseman Bryant Flete offers helps offer organizational depth for the Sox. Signed back in 2012 out of Venezuela, Flete's development hasn't gone in a straight line, as he reached AA in 2015 but spent most of 2016 at Class A and all of 2017 at High Class A. With Myrtle Beach this year, he slashed .305/.355/.425 with six home runs, flashing utility upside but ultimately not performing the way one would hope for a 24 year old. He has average tools across the board. Lastly, first baseman Matt Rose has shown some big power in the minors but has struggled with contact. An 11th round pick out of Georgia State in 2015, Rose slashed .227/.281/.481 with 14 home runs for High Class A Myrtle Beach this year, but he has struck out in 24.8% of his plate appearances while walking in just 5.9%. As he is, he won't make it to the major leagues on his power alone, but if he can improve his plate discipline, there is room for a guy who can walk and hit home runs. Right now, though, he doesn't walk.
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