Yankees Showing Interest in This Veteran Starting Pitcher Ahead of Trade Deadline

Pirates lefty José Quintana has reportedly drawn interest from the Yankees leading up to next month's trade deadline.

Max Goodman | Jul 27, 2022

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NEW YORK — If the Yankees don't land one of the premier starting pitchers available before next week's trade deadline, they could turn to this veteran left-hander.

According to Robert Murray, an MLB insider for FanSided, the Yankees are showing interest in Pirates southpaw José Quintana.

Quintana, 33, is in his 11th big-league season, his first with Pittsburgh. The lefty spent the first six years of his career with the White Sox, earning a trip to the All-Star Game in 2016. The following year, the Cubs traded four players—including Dylan Cease and Eloy Jimenez—to acquire Quintana before the deadline.

Over his 11 years pitching in the Majors, the southpaw has posted a 3.83 ERA. He pitched poorly in 2021, but has bounced back this year, posting a 3.70 ERA over 19 starts with the Pirates.

Not too long ago, the Yankees faced Quintana. The lefty threw five innings of one-run ball in Pittsburgh, securing a win while striking out seven.

Some of his metrics and numbers aren't too appealing, but he limits hard contact (career-best 86.9 average exit velocity this season) and he gets opponents to leave the strike zone (career-high 32.3 chase rate).

A player like Quintana wouldn't singlehandedly erase the concerns in New York's starting rotation, but he'd help eat innings, giving this club a chance to win while playing important games down the stretch. If Luis Severino is going to miss an extended period of time and the Yankees want to ease off the gas with starters like Nestor Cortes, preserving their best for October, this left-hander could be part of a possible solution.

A rental, Quintana would be off the books at the end of this season. Considering the Yankees and Pirates have dealt with each other quite a bit lately (Clay Holmes and Jameson Taillon trades), both organizations have familiarity with each other.

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Published Jul 27, 2022

MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.