Jose Quintana To The Astros For Kyle Tucker And Francis Martes
Of the three trades, this one is still the most likely to happen in my mind. Everyone saw Chris Sale and Boston being a perfect fit, and eventually it happened. Jose Quintana to the Astros has that same vibe. It was reported that the Astros were in talks with the White Sox about Quintana but they refused to include Martes in the deal. If they are still in the playoff race at the deadline, they might have to up their offer.
Kyle Tucker is a long, lengthy outfielder who possesses a very high hit tool. The No. 31 prospect in baseball would look very nice on the South Side. Some see him as a top of the order player, but he does not possess the ideal speed that is so common at the position. Regardless of where he bats in the lineup, Tucker has the potential to hit .275 and smack 20 home runs once he taps into his power.
Francis Martes would have to be the headliner in this deal. The No. 18 prospect in baseball has a dynamite fastball/curveball combo. The fastball has topped out at 98, but Martes sits at 93-96. While the movement on it is iffy, he can locate it wherever he wants. His curveball is is second best pitch, grading out at 65 on the 20-80 scale. Martes throws it with both power and control, keeping hitters off balance repeatedly. While his changeup needs work, it shows promise, and he can also snap off a solid slider when he needs to.
The Astros get a formidable 1-2 punch with Dallas Keuchel and Jose Quintana, while the White Sox obtain two prospects that will become core members of the rebuild for the foreseeable future.
Supply And Demand
The biggest thing about these trades are that each team involved is sure to be in a playoff race. The Yankees, Astros and Nationals are all right on the brink of making not only a playoff run, but a World Series run.
We saw what the Indians did when they obtained Andrew Miller, and we saw what the Cubs did when they brought in Aroldis Chapman.
The White Sox currently have the pieces needed to strengthen other teams biggest weakness. The timing, market and price will all form a better shape once the deadline approaches. Time will tell if other teams get desperate enough to pull the trigger.
