José Quintana
If you look up “innings eater” in the dictionary, José Quintana would likely come up.
Since making his major league debut on May 7, 2012, at age 23, the southpaw has totaled 951 innings in five years and since 2013, only Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, R.A. Dickey and David Price have pitched more innings than Quintana.
Additionally, he is one of only six starters to toss 200 innings in each of the past four years and they certainly have been effective (3.35 ERA in 129 starts).
At the very least, the 2016 All-Star has the ability to bring Joe Girardi a viable starter with the ability to go 200 innings or more — something they haven’t seen for quite some time.
In 2014, Hiroki Kuroda led the team with 199 innings and the following yer the six-win Sabathia did with 167.1. 2016 marked the third year in a row no Yankees’ starter reached the 200 mark, though Tanaka (199.2) came close.
He will warrant a decent return in top-notch prospects but given his two years of team control and relentless efficiency, the Yankees might pull the trigger for the kid they let walk as a minor-league free agent in 2011.
For the right price, he could very well compliment Tanaka as well as he’s done for Sale over the last few years.
What do you think, Yankees’ fans? Would you want to make any of these trades? Should Cashman pursue any starting pitcher listed above? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.
