Cardinals Acquiring José Quintana from Pirates, Now Watch Him Carve
Cardinals fans are going to get to cheer for Q with nary a hint of conspiracy theory because St. Louis is finalizing a deal to acquire lefty José Quintana from the Pirates. This looks like a very significant fallback after failing to land Frankie Montas, who went from the A’s to the Yankees in an earlier deal, but getting a vintage performance from the former Cub is exactly the sort of thing you’d expect from the Cards.
The St. Louis Cardinals are finalizing a deal to acquire left-hander Jose Quintana from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022
Quintana is already having a resurgent season for the Bucs, posting a 3.50 ERA that is lower than he’s produced since he had a 3.20 in 2016 for the White Sox. His 3.24 FIP is his lowest since 2015 (3.18) and his 0.61 HR/9 mark is his lowest since 2014 (0.45). That he’s doing it for a bad team is notable, though it could be a matter of staying out of the spotlight.
The Cardinals have been looking to upgrade their roster and this has the added bonus of twisting the knife a little, since it makes two years in a row that they’ve traded for a former Cubs southpaw. Not that Quintana can hold a candle to Jon Lester, of course. I just can’t get past the sinking feeling that Q is going to carve against the Cubs, which is a pretty safe bet given the roster they figure to be fielding down the stretch.
And he’ll be on regular rest for Wednesday’s game if the Cards want to throw him out there in the upcoming series.
Update: The Cardinals are also getting righty reliever Chris Stratton, damn glad to meetcha, from the Pirates. The 31-year-old has been okay in 40.2 innings, notching 37 strikeouts to 13 walks in 40.2 innings this season.