Inside The Mets

Ex-Mets 'Underrated' Hurler Predicted to Sign With NL East Foe

Former New York Mets starter José Quintana could be joining one of the Mets' biggest rivals this offseason.

Grant Young

Sep 5, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images / Brad Mills-Imagn Images
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Southpaw starting pitcher José Quintana was one of the more unsung heroes of the New York Mets' NLCS run in 2024.

The 35-year-old veteran proved to be one of the most reliable pitchers the Mets had last season, which is shown by his 3.75 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 170.1 regular season innings pitched. He followed that up by producing a 3.14 ERA across three postseason starts, including five shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS, which resulted in a 4-1 win.

Now Quintana is an unrestricted free agent. While a reunion with New York seems unlikely at this point since the Mets have added other pieces to their starting rotation, fans would surely prefer Quintana remains out of the NL East.

Although Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer predicted Quintana (who he deemed one of "The Most Underrated 2024-25 MLB Free Agents Still Available") would sign with the Washington Nationals in a December 23 article.

"He's topped 150 innings nine times since 2013, making him one of only four pitchers to do so," Rymer wrote on Quintana. "And while he has had injuries here and there, he's one of seemingly only a half-dozen pitchers who have never had Tommy John surgery.

"Continued durability is not exactly guaranteed at his age, but it does soothe the nerves knowing that Quintana isn't out there trying to blow guys away. He's more about throwing 90 mph or so and getting guys to hit the ball on the ground," he continued.

"It's not flashy, but it's hard to deny at this point that it works. At least well enough to make Quintana a reliable mid-rotation type, and there are few teams that don't need a guy like that," Rymer wrote before predicting Quintana would sign a two-year, $26 million contract with the Nationals.

Regardless of where Quintana ends up this offseason, Mets fans should be thankful for what he has provided their team over the past two campaigns.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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