Brewers sign José Quintana to one-year deal

Quintana had been linked to the Blue Jays by Héctor Gómez in early January but nothing ever game of it. The Blue Jays signed Max Scherzer on Jan. 30, effectively ending their search for a back-end-of-the-rotation starter.

The left-handed pitcher would’ve fit a Blue Jays need as they lack a left-handed starter in the rotation. Despite being 36 years old, Quintana posted a respectable 3.75 ERA and a 4.52 FIP in 170.1 innings pitched with the New York Mets.

Having been in the league since the 2012 season, Quintana has a career 3.74 ERA and a 3.70 FIP in 1969.2 innings pitched, with a 20.9 K% and a 7.2 BB%. His career-best season came in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, where he had a 2.93 ERA and a 2.99 FIP in 165.2 innings pitched for a 4 fWAR.

It wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Blue Jays to sign another starter to a minor-league deal to protect from injuries. However, there aren’t a whole lot of starting pitchers left available through free agency. The most notable is Kyle Gibson, who had a 4.24 ERA and a 4.42 FIP in 169.2 innings pitched with the Cardinals last season.

There are a handful of other veterans as well, such as Patrick Corbin, Lance Lynn, Anthony DeSclafani, and Spencer Turnbull. The latter may be someone of interest for the Blue Jays, as he had a .265 ERA and a 3.85 FIP in 54.1 innings pitched with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2024, splitting his time in the bullpen and starting the game.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Blue Jays add an experienced starting pitcher on a minor-league deal, but Quintana may have been the best option for a left-handed pitcher still on the market.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.