The Chicago White Sox announced on Twitter Thursday that the team had traded starting pitcher Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs for a package of four minor league prospects.
#WhiteSox have acquired OF Eloy Jiménez, RHP Dylan Cease, 1B Matt Rose & INF Bryant Flete from the Cubs in exchange for LHP José Quintana.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 13, 2017
Trade rumors surrounding Quintana, an All-Star in 2016, had escalated over the past few weeks as the White Sox continued to struggle. They are in last place in the AL Central and 7.5 games back in the Wild Card hunt.
“It is always extremely difficult to trade a person and player like José Quintana,” White Sox vice president and general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. “This deal moves us closer to our goal of building a team capable of contending for multiple championships over an extended period of time.”
With the acquisition of Jimenez and Cease, the White Sox have added the no. 8and no. 63 prospects, respectively, on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects list to an already strong farm system. Second baseman Yoan Moncada, widely regarded as the best prospect in baseball, is also in the team’s minor league system, along with former Nationals prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
The Cubs, currently 5.5 games back in the NL Central, will hope Quintana can aid a starting rotation which has struggled to replicate the success it had last season, when the team won its first World Series title in 108 years. Quintana holds a 4-8 record with a 4.49 ERA so far this season.
• Josh Luckenbaugh can be reached at jluckenbaugh@washingtontimes.com.
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