^This. This is *HOPEFULLY* the last time that Jose Quintana torments the Brewer fan base.
So when the news broke yesterday that the Brewers were bringing in Quintana on a 1 year, $4.25 million dollar deal, I had to go back and check to see what his record against the Brewers was in his career. Before finding the actual numbers, I would have guessed he had anywhere between 40-50 wins and a 0.75 ERA against the Crew in his time in Major League Baseball. The actual numbers? He has made 21 starts against the Brewers, has an 8-7 record and an ERA a little over 3. Not as bad as I thought! When you do the game-by-game breakdown, they were able to rough him up 2-3 times, so that probably alters the optics of the actual numbers. But most Brewer fans would agree, it feels like no matter who is wearing a Brewer jersey, if Quintana is pitching against them he has them mystified most of the time.
Now outside of not having to deal with him pitching against us anymore, this feels like a more than solid signing for a team that needs some starting pitching depth. Quintana is 36 years old, a 13-year veteran, and has 102 wins with a 3.74 career ERA. Pretty damn solid. He made 31 starts for the Mets last year, and posted a 10-10 record with a 3.75 ERA (and a 3.14 postseason ERA in three starts).
It feels like the Brewers are pretty set with Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Nestor Cortes and Aaron Civale as their 1-4, but that 5th spot was kind of a question. DL Hall is already hurt, Aaron Ashby left last night’s Cactus League game with an injury, and Brandon Woodruff is still making his way back from major shoulder surgery. I know we’ve talked about it on the podcast, but at this juncture it’s hard to predict what they’ll get out of Woodruff. All of the live batting practice he’s been tossing at Maryvale has had strong results, but him being ready by Opening Day feels far fetched. As hopeful as we all are as fans, expecting Woody to make 25 starts this year probably isn’t in the cards. If he can be ready to go by late-May/June and give you 15-18 starts this season that would be a major win.
So with all of those question marks, signing a crafty lefty on a 1-year deal feels like a no-brainer. 23 days until Opening Day.
PS: Remember when Quintana was with the Cubs and Joe Maddon would INSIST on having him pitch against the Brewers? He made SEVEN starts against Milwaukee in 2018. 7! That’s bananaland.
Double PS: SEVEN:
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