Quintana: Faux trade discussion between Luhnow and Hahn

Faux leaked trade discussion between Luhnow and Hahn to try to bring Jose Quintana to the Astros.

Last year, CTH did several faux trade discussions with the Reds for certain players. The moves this offseason came too quick to do a worthy faux trade discussion. One player that keeps on appearing on the Houston Astros radar is Jose Quintana. Earlier today, Jon Morosi Tweeted that there was momentum in a deal for Quintana, and the Astros were serious bidders.

While there are no reports of an imminent deal, with assistance from SouthsideShowdown.com, we are creating a faux trade discussion via text messages. The faux trade discussion will begin during the winter meetings, right after the Chris Sale and Adam Eaton deals. We have some catching up to do, but I wanted to try to capture the interaction between the two.

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Do the Astros really need Quintana?

To win in 2017, no, they have a good enough rotation to win the AL West in 2017. It will not be a cakewalk, the Rangers, and the Mariners have good teams. However, what you noticed in the 2016 World Series is that teams need pitching to win. Depth is the key. The Indians had a great rotation, but they were shorthanded in World Series.

Corey Kluber almost pulled it off, pitching three times in a seven-game series. Had their rotation been healthy, they might have won instead of the Cubs. I know it’s early to talk about playoffs, but with this team, it’s expected. If the Astros don’t trade for a starting pitcher now, they will do so at the trade deadline.

There is a belief around baseball that the Astros are a Quintana away from being championship ready. It will take a lot to acquire him, though, but the Astros can spare a few prospects to win during this window. Peter Gammons reported that the Rays turned down a large package for Chris Archer. This shows that the Astros are trying to add a starter within reason. Maybe they offer that package to the White Sox.

Next: Are the Astros favorites to acquire Jose Quintana?

Follow along here or above.

Bookmark this page or follow the discussion. We will try to update it as much as possible. Thank you for following along with the conversation. Hopefully, the two sides will be able to work out a deal. I think that he will fit in good with the Astros, but it won’t be cheap. It will cost more if they wait until the trade deadline.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***