The Brewers are making a veteran addition to their rotation. Milwaukee is reportedly in settlement with Jose Quintana on a one-year, $4.25MM deal. That takes the type of a $250K roster bonus and a $4MM base wage for the Wasserman consumer. The signing, which has not been made official by the staff, additionally consists of incentives. The Brewers have a full 40-man roster and might want to make a corresponding transfer as soon as the deal is finalized.
Quintana, 36, is without doubt one of the high unsigned free brokers because the common season is simply over three weeks away at this level. He simply completed a two-year, $26MM take care of the Mets that noticed him put up strong surface-level outcomes, although with the numbers below the hood a bit much less spectacular.
In 2023, a left rib fracture put him on the injured listing at first of the season and stored him there till the center of July. He returned in time to make 13 begins down the stretch, permitting 3.57 earned runs per 9 innings, although his strikeout fee fell to 18.8%. Final yr, he stayed wholesome sufficient to take the ball 31 occasions for the Mets and logged 170 1/3 innings with a 3.75 ERA. However his strikeout was once more a tepid 18.8% and he benefited from .263 batting common on balls in play. His 4.56 FIP and 4.57 SIERA on the yr each pointed to him deserving worse outcomes than he truly posted.
Previous to signing with the Mets, Quintana had engineered a powerful bounceback season. After scuffling with accidents and underperformance in 2020 and 2021, the lefty posted a 2.93 ERA over 32 begins in 2022. In that bounceback yr, he had a 20.2% strikeout fee, 6.9% stroll fee and 46.4% floor ball fee. Since then, he has a 3.70 ERA over 246 innings however together with his 18.8% strikeout fee, 8.4% stroll fee and 45.6% floor ball fee every transferring barely within the fallacious course.
Quintana’s isn’t essentially the most thrilling profile, however even getting some boring back-of-the-rotation innings might be good for the Brewers, particularly for the worth. Initially of the winter, MLBTR predicted the lefty to safe a two-year, $20MM contract, alongside different mid-rotation or back-end guys like Frankie Montas, Andrew Heaney or Matthew Boyd.
The pitching market was very aggressive early on, with Montas in a position to get a two-year, $34MM assure plus an opt-out from the Mets. Boyd received two years and $29MM from the Cubs. However the warmth died down extra not too long ago, which appears to have squeezed out sure guys. Heaney needed to accept a $5.25MM assure from the Pirates on a one-year deal. Quintana reportedly turned down a greater supply than that Heaney deal from the Bucs however is now becoming a member of Milwaukee on a reasonably comparable association.
The Brewers have clearly been working with no monetary wiggle room this winter. Previous to signing Quintana, their largest free agent signing was giving a $1MM assure to Tyler Alexander. They did add Nestor Cortes in a commerce with the Yankees, however that deal was pretty revenue-neutral, with Devin Williams going the opposite approach.
Their rotation combine has a number of query marks in it. Robert Gasser required Tommy John surgical procedure in June of final yr and will probably be out of motion till the second half of 2025. Brandon Woodruff is working his approach again from shoulder surgical procedure which worn out his 2024 marketing campaign and it’s unclear when he will probably be a viable possibility. DL Corridor suffered a lat pressure a number of weeks in the past and can begin the season on the injured listing.
As of now, Freddy Peralta and Cortes have spots alongside Aaron Civale and Tobias Myers. Civale tossed 161 innings final yr however that was a private finest for him, having by no means hit 125 frames in an enormous league season earlier than. Myers posted an ERA of three.00 in his first huge league motion however was a nomadic former prospect previous to that, so it stays to be seen if he can preserve his outcomes or if his 2024 was a fluke.
Different choices within the combine embody Alexander and Aaron Ashby. Alexander has a 4.55 ERA in his profession however largely in a swing position, oscillating between beginning and relieving. This Quintana deal ought to push him extra firmly into that place once more. Ashby, who left as we speak’s Spring Coaching look with an indirect harm, has some beginning expertise however struggled by a lot of 2024 earlier than ending robust in a aid position. He’s nonetheless a beginning candidate however he may ultimately find yourself again within the bullpen and in addition has an possibility yr remaining, which may push him to the Triple-A rotation.
Even when Quintana’s ends in 2024 have been a little bit of a mirage and he finally ends up with an ERA within the mid-4.00s this yr, a gradual veteran presence at this value is a logical add for a membership with so many rotation query marks and little spending capability.
For golf equipment nonetheless trying so as to add beginning pitching at this late stage of the offseason, there are nonetheless a number of unsigned choices, together with Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and Spencer Turnbull. The commerce market may function Jordan Montgomery and Taijuan Walker, although their salaries are a lot bigger than what free brokers have been settling for in current weeks.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported that the Brewers have been signing Quintana to a one-year deal. Francys Romero reported that the wage would land within the $4-5MM vary and the presence of incentives. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had the precise $4.25MM assure and wage construction.
