Astros Rumors: The asking price for Jose Quintana is revealed

Peter Gammons revealed what the White Sox were asking for in the trade discussions between them and the Astros during the Winter Meetings.

On Wednesday night, there was a buzz around the Winter Meetings that the White Sox and Astros were talking trade. It got to the point where Phil Rogers reported on the MLB Network that the two teams were deep in discussions for Jose Quintana. The trade never materialized, and Jake Kaplan wrote that the Astros thought the price was too much. They left the meetings without adding the top of the rotation pitcher they sought.

After enduring the Chris Sale saga, we all assumed that the White Sox were getting greedy by asking for Alex Bregman. The team was in the Sale trade talks, but they refused to give up Bregman. However, the Red Sox saw the window to win now and gave up top prospect Yoan Moncada and more.

I wrote that night that a deal for Quintana at that time would cost a lot. Jon Heyman that day tweeted that Francis Martes and Hunter were targeted for the White Sox. As I predicted, Hunter was Kyle Tucker. That was close to a decent package for Quintana, but Heyman said and others. The others are what scared me, with Martes and Tucker being the top two Astros prospects by MLB Pipeline.

Wasn’t Bregman after all.

Most of us assumed it was Bregman, but the White Sox went for the jugular and asked for Joseph Musgrove. Just a little while ago, Peter Gammons tweeted that the White Sox asked for Musgrove, Martes, and Tucker. Wow, that haul even made Brian McTaggart say via Twitter,  “Yikes, that’s a high price!” The White Sox got the top hitting and pitching prospect in baseball in the two other deals. You can’t blame them for aiming high, but kudos to Jeff Luhnow for taking a step back.

I could see the two sides working out a package later. Martes and Tucker are a decent starting point for a Quintana trade, but the third player being a guy like Musgrove is too much. With that being said, giving up the top two prospects is not ideal for Houston. Maybe one of the two and others, but that discussion will be between Hahn and Luhnow.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

While I think the Astros have good enough pitching to make the playoffs, it wouldn’t hurt to have the depth that Quintana could add. George Ofman, a Chicago radio host, says that the odds favor Quintana being moved next week. He mentioned that the Astros are the top possibility, but others are trying.

The White Sox are trying to accumulate prospects, at some point, they will come back to the Astros in my opinion. One or two of the three players Gammons mentioned might be traded, at least they know Luhnow won’t give in as easily as the others. We will see which side caves first.

Richard Justice said that the Astros are a good fit for Quintana Wednesday night, but for now, there is nothing close. For what it’s worth, JJ Cooper would not do that trade.

Next: What ZiPS projects Alex Bregman will do in 2017.

Give them time. The Astros are the one team that has the prospects and need in a Quintana trade. If we don’t trade for a TOR pitcher now, they would probably address this near the trade deadline. Musgrove is not untouchable, but with the other two players, that’s a steep price. Then again, two of the three are prospects. What do you think of Luhnow’s decision to not do the trade?

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***