Atlanta Braves Going Through the Motions Again on Quintana?

Digging Up the Crops

Well, let’s take a peek at the farms regardless… and not just for the Braves… since a farm system rebuild appears to be most in the mind of the White Sox’ front office.

If you eliminate Swanson, Albies, and Maitan (and I hope you can), then these are the next-best prospect in line [I will use MLBPipeline for this list for the ‘grades’ given… whether we fully agree with them or not]:

Ronald Acuna

(55 and rising)

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I’ll stop there.  But now let’s also look at the Pirates and Astros:

HOUSTON

• Francis Martes (RHP), Kyle Tucker (OF), David Paulino (RHP), Derek Fisher (OF), Forrest Whitley (RHP), Franklin Perez (RHP).  All grade 55.
• Teoscar Hernandez (OF), Ramon Laureano (OF), Daz Cameron (OF), Miguelangel Sierra (Mid-Inf), Garrett Stubbs (C), Gilberto Celestino (OF, rank12th).  All grade 50.

PIRATES

• Tyler Glasnow (RHP), Austin Meadows (OF), Josh Bell (OF), Mitch Keller (RHP), Kevin Newman (SS).  All grade 55.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B), Cole Tucker (SS), Will Craig (3B), Nick Kingham (RHP), and Steven Brault (LHP).  All grade 50.

So by this metric, the Braves have 18 prospects grade 50+; the Astros 12 and the Pirates 10.

If you were to ask “Could the Braves do this without Swanson, Albies, and Maitan?”, then in terms of competition with the other named parties, the answer has to be ‘yes’:  Atlanta’s farm is deep enough to peel off this trio and still have the capability to outbid the others.

…If they actually want to try, that is.

Pirates and Astros?

Obviously the Astros and Pirates have more to lose by trading for Quintana – particularly since both of these clubs have a need to build from within.

I can understand the Astros’ interest, given that they are built to win now and need only a front-line pitcher to match up with… well, basically anybody in the American League.  If Houston wants to throw outfielders at the White Sox, they can probably do that all day long.  Aside from Tucker, though… the scouts better be careful, as most of the others have flaws.

Still, among the teams allegedly involved, the Astros represent the club with the biggest sense of both need and urgency… that is, unless the Yankees choose to dive in at the last minute like the Red Sox did to land Chris Sale.

UPDATE – literally just after this was initially published:

No surprise there… but it might finally give an indication of the White Sox’ price.

As for the Pirates, it is a definitely odd to them even asking about Quintana after an off-season where they tried to trade Andrew McCutchen.

Obviously Quintana has significant team control, but should the Pirates even bother to go there with a Cubs juggernaut still overshadowing them 18 times a year… and for probably for at least another couple of seasons?

I truly can’t see them blowing up their limited farm system given that bit of calculus.