In final year of contract, Quintana hopes to regain consistency with Cubs
After Jose Quintana endured another typical start for the White Sox in 2015, Jerry Reinsdorf was spotted exiting Guaranteed Rate Field.
"I can't believe (Quintana) hasn't asked to be traded," the Sox's chairman quipped.
Complaining about getting the second-lowest run support in the American League over a four-year span and demanding to be dealt was never Quintana's style.
A stand-up player, he eschewed complaining and kept his focus on being one of the most consistent starting pitchers in the AL.
Armed with a club-friendly contract to boot, Quintana was a huge trade chip for a White Sox team struggling through the early stages of a rebuild in 2017.
Sox general manager Rick Hahn reconnected with Cubs GM Theo Epstein about a deal during All-Star Game festivities in '17. A few days later, Quintana moved from the South Side to the North Side.
"We know we're getting a very quality, a very consistent starting pitcher who's also a great person and great teammate," Epstein said. "He couldn't be a better fit for our situation."
Quintana went 7-3 with a 3.74 ERA in 14 starts after joining the Cubs in 2017, and he was even more stellar against the Nationals in the NLDS while pitching 6⅓ innings and yielding 1 unearned run.
The wheels came off in the NLCS, when Quintana pitched 7 innings against the Dodgers and allowed 8 runs.
His last two seasons with the Cubs have been plagued by inconsistency, and the blockbuster trade has unquestionably shifted to the White Sox's favor as their two key acquisitions - power-hitting left fielder Eloy Jimenez and rising starter Dylan Cease - made their major league debuts in 2019.
After collapsing down the stretch last year, he was 2-3 with an 11.09 ERA in 5 September starts, Quintana was looking forward to redeeming himself with the Cubs this season.
"I want to be happy with what I'm doing on the mound," the 31-year-old pitcher said in the early days of spring training before the coronavirus pandemic shut baseball down on March 12. "I want to get my career in a good spot and show all the fans at Wrigley how I can be. I want everyone to feel excited when I'm on the mound."
If baseball is played this year, Quintana will be the Cubs' likely No. 4 starter behind Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester.
He'll also be in the final season of a five-year, $21 million contract he signed with the White Sox in 2014. The deal included $10.5 million club options in 2019 and this year, and the Cubs picked up both of them.
Regaining his consistency will be Quintana's obvious goal when baseball comes back. He also wants to improve his changeup, a usually reliable pitch that was erratic at best last season.
"Most of the time, I didn't feel my changeup well," Quintana said. "When I threw that pitch, I didn't get swings. If you saw all the games, I was just using two pitches most of the time. When I'm locked in, I use all my stuff."