I Wouldn't Expect Jose Quintana To Wind Up In Milwaukee

When I wrote about Jose Quintana's trade market last week, I mentioned the Milwaukee Brewers as a team that might find itself interested in him. They were seldom mentioned when it came to Quintana because nobody expected them to be contenders this season. Like the White Sox, they're supposed to be in the midst of a rebuild, though clearly, they're at a more advanced stage.

Not surprisingly, on Friday Jon Morosi wrote that the Brewers had been doing their due diligence on Quintana and Oakland's Sonny Gray.

Of course, while it was Morosi's report that received the lion's share of the attention, as well as a tweet from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's seemingly confirming Morosi's reporting, there was another tweet from Haudricort that leaves me extremely skeptical of Milwaukee's seriousness when it comes to Quintana.

This one.

Do not expect #Brewers to get silly and trade away all their top prospects, however. Long view still in effect while short view entices.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 7, 2017

See, on the surface, the Brewers have the quantity and quality of prospects the White Sox would be looking for in a Quintana trade. Milwaukee has five players ranked in MLB Pipeline's top 55 in Lewis Brinson, Corey Ray, Josh Hader, Luis Ortiz and Isan Diaz. Based on what we've heard about Quintana trade rumors since last winter, it stands to reason that the Brewers would likely need to give up at least two of those players to get Quintana.

And I just don't see that happening.

While the Brewers would ideally be looking for a starter with long-term control, I would wager that this season if they add a starter it will be more of a mid-level rental type. One that could boost the rotation and the team's chances to win the NL Central, but not one that will mess with the team's long-term plan.

If the Sox wind up making a trade with the Brewers, it will likely be for a bullpen arm or even somebody like Derek Holland.

When it comes to Quintana, Milwaukee's greatest value to the White Sox will just be as another team at the table for more serious bidders like the Yankees to have to compete against.