The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to sign free agent, left-handed starting pitcher Jose Quintana, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal is for one year and $8 million, reports Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.
Quintana, who turns 32 in a few days, missed nearly all of last season after an injury he suffered while slicing open his thumb doing dishes. He was able to return for just 10 innings late in the season, flashing slightly increased velocity and striking out 12.
In signing with the Angels, Quintana reunites with manager Joe Maddon, who he played for with the Cubs once he was traded there in July of 2017 through the end of the 2019 season. An All-Star in 2016, Quintana was very good for the Cubs after the deal in 2017, but his production decreased in the ensuing two seasons overall. There were bright spots, sure, but he wasn't nearly the same pitcher with the Cubs as the White Sox.
In 171 innings in 2019, Quintana pitched to a 4.68 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and had 152 strikeouts against 46 walks.
Perhaps having almost all of 2020 off will help Quintana's stuff play better in 2021. It's hard telling but there's certainly a chance.
Depending upon how things shake out with Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have the makings of a perfectly acceptable six-man rotation at this juncture. Not necessarily in this order, but here's a look at how it could shake out -- especially if they want to make Ohtani a once-a-week pitcher to aid in his transition to playing some outfield.
- Dylan Bundy (R)
- Andrew Heaney (L)
- Griffin Canning (R)
- Jose Quintana (L)
- Jaime Barria (R)
- Shohei Ohtani (R)
The Angels were 26-34 last season with their biggest issue being starting pitching (5.52 starter ERA). Growth from Canning, more work for Barria and the addition of Quintana -- along with anything they get from Ohtani -- is where they'll need to improve in 2021.
