I don't think there is a fanbase in close second in regards to your last sentence.

How many basketball writers have released a book with a subtitle similar to "The Story behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones That Are Running It, and the Right Way to Think about Basketball"

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Gray and Verlander aren't really having better seasons than Quintana and Verlander's salary is ridiculous. I don't think the other two guys are necessarily available.[

Cueto is doing the worst of that group. Based on this seasons numbers, years of control, and age, how are any of these guys more valuable?

Is it really about the better season? I think the short term is, who is going to show up for the playoffs. The long term is, how much longer are they signed for?

None of that really matters when you are going all in to win the World Series and he is your best option to shore up a pitching spot. He's had a few bad games but a team is trading for him with the idea that he will be on average what he has been in his recent seasons. If you are a team that feels they are a second or third starter away from winning it all then you go for it.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

If you are that close then you better be targeting Yu and Verlander before Quintana.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

If they are truly available at a price that a team can afford then sure.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

A team can afford all of these prices. Cmon. Nobody is giving up their farm system for any of these guys. Teams like the Brewers might be priced out of the Verlander market but many contenders wouldn't be.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

In that case it sounds like a good market to be selling a guy like Quintana since so many are able and willing to spend so much to get quality pitching.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

The problem is Quintana isn't very good.

If the best free agent available this summer in the NBA is Austin Rivers would you give him a max contract if you needed help in your backcourt?

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Any team that thinks he isn't any good wouldn't have thought otherwise in the offseason.

There are going to be many teams who start a pitcher worse than Quintana multiple times in the playoffs.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This is not true.

_________________

It is. You came around on this a year or two ago and admitted we were right but it seems you are backtracking now

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Define many. Quintana is 4-8 with a 4.49 ERA right now. It's a not a terribly high bar.

But yeah, teams aren't giving up a lot to slightly improve their #3 starter spot, I don't think. I hope I'm wrong. All it takes is one idiot. Here's hoping.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

This is it right there. You're letting go of premium prospects for a guy and he might even pitch better than you thought and you still don't get to where you wanted to go and now he's gone and so are the prospects. (See Oakland with Samardzija and Lester.) Quintana being under control for the reasonable price that he is for another three seasons is a huge hedge that you're not getting with these other guys.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I predict that they trade him and either get one top 10 or so prospect or multiple top 100 prospects along with some other long term potential players. It will be less than Sale for obvious reasons but not really that far away given the differences between the two players.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

You're getting it with Verlander. You're just paying more money because he's proven he's a better pitcher.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

You might be right. I'm still in the minority that thinks the Sale trade was pretty terrible but I don't like Quintana and if you can get something close that would be a pretty great return for a very average starting pitcher.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Since June 1st, Quintana has a 2.70 ERA. Even better if you only look at the last 30 days.

He started the reason very rough. He has returned to form. He is good.

No team in the running for Quintana would possibly have Verlander more highly rated. Not one single team.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I don't think the fact that you have to pay Verlander $80 million over the next three seasons is an argument in his favor.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

He had a good June. He had a terrible April, May, and he's having a terrible July. I think you are wrong about him being good and I'm almost positive you are wrong on that last point.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I'm not. Following the MLB insiders ... the guys 'in the know' ... Quintana is one of the top few pitchers available at this trade deadline. Verlander is a guy that the Tigers are actively trying to shop, and teams are hanging up on them.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

That's not true. Salary offset seems to be the major sticking point by all accounts.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I'd take Verlander any day.

Phillies/Texas/Hamels type deal. Kick in some cash to get a better return. Though the Illitch kid is apparently a cheapwad so who knows.

The Cubs shouldn't be fucking around with expensive, old, average-at-best pitchers.

The Cubs have the assets to look at guys like Cueto, Archer or Stroman.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Agreed. Ya'll should give us Jimenez and some other shit for an inexpensive, young, average-at-best pitcher.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Nah, you don't want our suspects. How about Almora for Quintana?

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Sure, done. You sure you don't want salary relief as well?

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

That's it? If Q was an FA about to hit the market, he'd get a monster deal. A 28 year old pitcher who has been a top tier pitcher over the last 4 years in most metrics, has a WAR between 3.5-5.1 each year (and will still be about a 2 WAR this down year). He consistently eats 200 innings, ERA in low 3's, above avg K's and 28 years old. This describes a very small number of pitchers in MLB. The first 3 months of this year wouldn't effect it and it won't effect it in the trade market.

Well, I would be a pretty terrible baseball GM most likely.

But yeah, I'd get rid of Quintana. Cannot play with him, cannot win with him, cannot coach with him. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

He's a cub

_________________