Yankees cheaping out on Jose Quintana would be low-energy trade deadline move

We’ll wait for the Aug. 2 deadline buzzer to fully criticize the New York Yankees, but the early trade rumors surrounding the team are not encouraging.

Do you really believe they’re at the forefront of the Juan Soto/Luis Castillo talks? It’s possible! But what evidence over the last five years do you have to suggest general manager Brian Cashman would be willing to pay such a premium?

Then again, those are complicated packages. They will take time. Patience is required. However … being linked to guys like D-backs outfielder David Peralta, and now Pirates starter Jose Quintana, is the stuff fans dread hearing.

Why? Because the Yankees can’t afford to conduct patchwork efforts at this year’s deadline. No more “crafty” Cashman deals that minimize risk leading the way, characterizing the deadline effort. Some of those can be baked in, but they can’t represent the prevailing sentiment.

Peralta and Quintana as supporting actors would be totally fine. Peralta and Quintana as “the” trade moves to “fix” this roster and better prepare it for October? Absolutely not.

Yankees trading for Jose Quintana would be a low-energy move

The need for pitching is far too paramount for Quintana to be among the leading candidates the Yankees are targeting. He’s been bad or mediocre since 2017, with the exception being this year, when he’s posted a 3.70 ERA, 3.26 FIP and 1.28 WHIP with 85 strikeouts in 19 starts (97.1 innings).

It’s nice to see the left-hander rebound, but over the last month or so we’ve started to see his play regress to the mean. Since the start of June, he’s logged three quality starts out of 10 and has surrendered four or more runs in four of those outings. He also failed to get out of the fourth inning three times.

Unless Quintana is brought in to eat innings as a spot starter/long reliever and preserve the rest of the pitching staff, then there’s no way the acquisition makes sense. The Yankees already have floundering starters in Jameson Taillon and Domingo Germán (why is he here?), as well as an injured Luis Severino and an unreliable-in-big-game-situations Jordan Montgomery (not to discount what he’s accomplished, but it’s obvious the Yankees probably can’t pitch him in an ALDS at this point). Why add another who won’t move the needle?

Fans should be all for Quintana as a complementary piece to a Castillo deal or a Pablo Lopez acquisition (if that’s even possible). On top of that, the veteran needs to be used correctly, and not be magnified as somebody he’s not.

If the Yankees end up with Quintana, Peralta and an unknown bullpen arm, though, expect a lot of unrest in the Bronx.

Ranking Yankees’ rumored trade targets ahead of Aug. 2 deadline

The New York Yankees are expected to be very active at the trade deadline and have already been rumored to target a number of players.