CHICAGO (AP) - Pitcher Jose Quintana and the Chicago White Sox agreed Monday to a $21 million, five-year contract that would increase to $26.5 million if he is eligible for salary arbitration after this season.
The deal includes two team options that could add $22 million plus a 2020 escalator based on Cy Young Award voting.
“Jose quickly has established himself as a quality major-league starting pitcher, and along with Chris Sale, we expect him to be an important piece of our rotation for the foreseeable future,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. “Jose brings a tremendous work ethic and professionalism to his approach, and he is well respected by his teammates, so we are excited to be able to reward him for what he has accomplished thus far in his career and possibly keep him in a White Sox uniform for the next seven seasons.”
Quintana has 1 year, 133 days of major league service. The cutoff for arbitration eligibility was 2 years, 122 days this year and 2-139 last year.
After agreeing this month to a one-year deal paying $550,000 in the major leagues and $300,000 in the minors, Quintero gets an $850,000 salary this season.
If eligible for arbitration at the end of this year, he would get $3.4 million in 2015, $5.4 million in 2016, $7 million in 2017 and $8.85 million in 2018.
If not eligible for arbitration after this season, Quintana would receive $1 million in 2015, $3.8 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $8.35 million in 2018.
Chicago has a $10.5 million option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout. If that’s exercised, the White Sox have a $10.5 million option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout.
If he wins a Cy Young Award at any point through 2019, the 2020 option price would increase to $14 million, If he finishes second or third in the voting at any point through 2019, the 2020 option would rise to $13 million.
With All-Star Chris Sale and Quintana at the top of the rotation, the White Sox believe they have the pitching to make a quick turnaround after a 99-loss season.
The 25-year-old Quintana was 9-7 with a 3.51 ERA, 164 strikeouts in 200 innings and a major-league leading 17 no-decisions in 33 starts last year - his first full season in the majors. Three of those no-decisions came after he pitched at least seven scoreless innings.
A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Quintana became the youngest pitcher to lead the White Sox in starts since 23-year-old Mark Buehrle in 2002. Quintana and Sale also became the first left-handed teammates in franchise history younger than 25 to throw at least 200 innings in the same season.
Quintana is 15-13 with a 3.61 ERA in two seasons with the White Sox.
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