Braves Predicted to Sign NL East Rival's Free Agent Starting Pitcher

Originally predicted to go to the Blue Jays, a prediction has switched to the Braves after the signing of Max Scherzer

The Braves need for a rotation landed them a signing prediction / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

A free-agency prediction has pivoted in favor of the Atlanta Braves. Just Baseball’s Ryan Finkelstein has switched their prediction for which team will sign starting pitcher Jose Quintana from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Braves. 

Since the Blue Jays signed Scherzer, they switched their prediction to a team that could still use a starter. 

Atlanta Braves on SI made a case for the Braves to sign the Mets' free-agent starter on Jan. 28.

Last season, Quintana made 31 starts for the Mets and pitched 170 1/3 innings. Across those starts, he had a 3.75 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, a 105 ERA+ and 135 strikeouts. 

This was his overall stats, in the final 18 starts of the season, he had a 2.77 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 104 innings pitched. He also held hitters to a .209 average and a .640 OPS. 

Quintana was also a reliable arm in the postseason for the Mets. In three starts, he had a 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 innings pitched. This includes a start in Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the Brewers. He pitched six scoreless innings en route to the Mets winning 4-2 over the Brewers and taking the series. 

Just Baseball views him as one of the top starters left on the market after last season. 

“An argument can be made that outside of Jack Flaherty, nobody else on this list is coming off a better season than Jose Quintana,” Finkelstein said. “Contending teams who need pitching should be lining up to sign him to a one-year deal.”

At this time, the Braves rotation is expected to be Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson with Spencer Strider eventually returning. 

Bringing in Quintana could spell a six-man rotation if the Braves don’t want to bump Anderson from the rotation, but with Strider coming back, Anderson would have to move off the rotation along with Holmes.