Jose Quintana has been arguably the most coveted pitcher on the trade market this offseason. As front-line starting pitching becomes a premium in the MLB, teams are looking to add Quintana to bolster their rotation. While Quintana and his modest $7 million salary could fit on any roster, there have been three main players in the pursuit. At one point or another this offseason the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates or New York Yankees have been the favorite to land the White Sox ace. As the offseason rages on it appeared that if Quintana were to be traded, it would be to one of those teams. That was of course until a new report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Nightengale reported that the Texas Rangers have begun to show interest in Jose Quintana. https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/826893314326675456

Ranger Danger

The Texas Rangers are one of the most dangerous teams in the American League. They have a potent offense featuring the likes of Carlos Gomez, Adrian Beltre, Normar Mazara, Jonathan Lucroy and others. They have the bats to go toe to toe with any offense in the MLB. What makes them even more scary is their pitching rotation. According to Roster Resource the Rangers are set to enter the year with Cole Hamels, Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, Andrew Cashner and A.J Griffin in the rotation. Texas recently signed Tyson Ross, and he should be ready to join the team at some point prior to the All Star Break. Adding Quintana would give the Rangers a three headed monster atop their rotation. Hamels, Darvish and Quintana are all aces. Come playoff time, where the importance of starting pitching reaches an all time high, the Rangers will have one of the deepest units in all of baseball. If Ross is able to capture his former glory, the Rangers could realistically have four aces on their pitching staff. A pitching rotation with that much talent, coupled with an already electric offense could lead the Rangers to the American League Championship. While the Red Sox and Indians are currently the favorites, the Rangers would be right up there by adding another ace in Quintana.

Why Now?

Realistically, the Rangers had a pretty weak offseason. While the team added Ross, they haven't made any more Major League signings. Texas has been connected to Mike Napoli and others, but for now Ross remains as their only major addition. They have watched as the Red Sox added Chris Sale and the Indians added Edwin Encarnacion. Texas knows just how good those teams could be. If they do not make a major move, there's a chance they won't be able to compete come October. Texas also saw the consequences of weak starting pitching during the playoffs as they got swept by the Blue Jays in the ALDS. Game One saw Hamels give up seven runs in 3.1 innings, Game Two saw Darvish give up five runs in five innings and Game Three saw Colby Lewis give up five runs in two innings. The Rangers know that come playoff time, starting pitching becomes even more valuable. Quintana would give the team a consistent option to pitch early on in the postseason. The hope would be that a mix of their three aces and Ross would be able to help lead the team to the World Series.

What Would It Take?

Late in December, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported that the White Sox asked for Jurickson Profar and "a lot more" when the teams discussed Quintana. https://twitter.com/jcrasnick/status/811660399171014656 Profar is a former top prospect who has the ability to play every infield position. While the Rangers used him more as a super utility player, Profar would be a cornerstone offensive weapon for the White Sox and potentially their third baseman of the future. In 184 MLB games, Profar has hit .235 with 12 home runs, 48 RBIs and four stolen bases. Outside of Profar, it's hard to tell what the White Sox could receive for Quintana. Texas doesn't have the deepest farm system but they do have two top 100 prospects in Leody Taveras (55th) and Yohander Mendez (56th). The Rangers also have players such as Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo who they could offer in a Quintana deal. Mazara had a breakout campaign in 2016 hitting .266 with 20 home runs and 64 RBIs over 145 games. It seems unlikely that the Rangers would be willing to trade Mazara after he proved he could hit MLB pitching. Perhaps if the team becomes desperate at the trade deadline they could move their rising star. Gallo has dominated minor league pitching but has yet to find that same stroke in the major leagues. He has hit .254 with 152 home runs and 375 RBIs at the minor league level and .173 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs at the major league level. Gallo has a ton of potential, but the White Sox may be unwilling to take on a player that is so hit or miss. Overall, the Rangers couldn't comprise the same trade package as a Pirates or Astros. However if they were to include Mazara, the White Sox would have to listen.

Author's Reaction

I think it's very unlikely that the Rangers and White Sox match up on a deal for Jose Quintana. In fact, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News already debunked this rumor. https://twitter.com/Evan_P_Grant/status/826899787127615489 https://twitter.com/Evan_P_Grant/status/826904033709391872 I don't doubt that the Rangers and White Sox have had talks in the past. The Rangers have been known to make bold moves, and adding Quintana would classify as one. The Rangers just don't have the type of farm system that Rick Hahn covets. The only thing that would get a deal done is Mazara, and there's about a 0% chance the Rangers do that. I think this trade rumor is more posturing from the White Sox rather than an actual rumor. The Red Sox increased their offer for Chris Sale once they saw that the Nationals "were making a big push". If a team like the Astros, the Rangers rival, sees the Rangers are showing interest, it may force them to up their offer. In this specific case, it may force them to include top prospect Francis Martes; something they've been reluctant to do. Even if this is an actual rumor rather than posturing, it doesn't make much sense for the White Sox to deal Quintana to the Rangers. The team could get much more value out of the Pirates or Astros. If Hahn is able to fetch just Meadows/Glasnow or Martes, he is getting a much greater value than he would from Texas; assuming Mazara isn't involved. The White Sox are much better off holding out for a "real offer" from a team with a deep farm system. At this point, the Rangers are not this team. At this point it seems unlikely that Jose Quintana is traded prior to the start of the 2017 season. If he is, it seems more likely that it'll be to the Houston Astros or Pittsburgh Pirates rather than the Texas Rangers.   Feel free to continue the conversation on Twitter: @DFappiano14