The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals made a huge trade on Tuesday.
Both clubs announced the deal.
Pirates: " We have acquired RHP Johan Oviedo and 3B/1B Malcom Nuñez from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for LHP José Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton."
Cardinals: "We have acquired LHP José Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Johan Oviedo and minor league INF Malcom Nuñez."
Both teams are in the NL Central, and the Cardinals are currently in second place.
They have a 55-48 record in the 103 games that they have played in so far this season, and they are only 2.0 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place.
Quintana is a former All-Star, and gives them another reliable starting pitcher.
He is currently 3-5 in 20 starts on the season with a solid 3.50 ERA.
The division race between the Cardinals and Brewers more than likely comes down to the final month of the regular season.
As for the Pirates, they are not having a good season.
They are in last place in the division.
Right now, they are 41-62 in the 103 games that they have played in so far this season, which has them 16.0 games behind the Brewers for first place.
it is more than likely that they will not be in the 2022 MLB Playoffs, so trading away a good (but not great) 33-year-old starting pitcher makes a lot of sense as they continue to rebuild the roster.
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