The Brewers announced that they’ve recalled Jose Quintana from their complex league affiliate. He’ll get the ball tonight opposite Eduardo Rodriguez in Arizona. Milwaukee optioned Elvis Peguero to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.
Quintana will be making his season and team debut. The veteran lefty lingered in free agency into Spring Training. He signed a $4.25MM free agent deal in early March. Quintana managed five innings over two appearances before camp came to a close. He allowed two runs with two strikeouts and a walk. He stayed back at the complex for the first couple weeks of the regular season to continue building into game shape.
The 36-year-old southpaw is coming off a strong season with the Mets. Quintana worked to a 3.75 ERA despite a subpar 18.8% strikeout rate across 170 1/3 regular season innings. He fired six scoreless innings against Milwaukee in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Quintana followed up with another five scoreless frames against the Phillies in the Division Series before the Dodgers tagged him for five runs over 3 1/3 frames in his lone NLCS start.
Milwaukee opened the season with Brandon Woodruff, Tobias Myers, Aaron Ashby and DL Hall on the injured list. They’ve lost Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes to the IL since Opening Day. That contributed to their early-season trade to land Quinn Priester from the Red Sox. The young righty went five innings of one-run ball against Colorado in his team debut yesterday. Priester and Quintana join swingman Tyler Alexander and rookie Chad Patrick as part of a patchwork rotation behind staff ace Freddy Peralta.
I’m happy for Quintana. I liked him playing for the Mets.
I really enjoyed him when he was with the Cardinals, too. I really wished they had brought him back.
He really seemed like the 2025 version of 2024’s Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, a worthwhile starter in line for something like 1/10m at 36. 170 IP in 2024 was Quintana’s eighth highest IP total. He had to project for 150 decent innings.
He must have been looking for a lot more than he signed for, to have gone unsigned as long as he did in another year of skyrocketing prices for starting pitching. .
Milwaukee isn’t just patching holes with José Quintana—they’re executing a calendar-based resource hedge, using April as a controlled burn period to protect their real rotation for when divisional races heat up in June–September.
Uhh no they’re doing it out of necessity considering half their rotation is injured right now. You try so hard to sound smart
@choof
You’re stuck on injuries, but that’s half the equation—nobody’s denying Woodruff, Myers, Ashby, Hall, Civale, and Cortes are out (MLB.com, April 11). My point’s sharper: Milwaukee’s playing chess, not checkers. Quintana’s $4.25M deal (signed March, FanSided) nets a 2.5 WAR arm (2024, Mets: 3.75 ERA, 170 1/3 IP) for $15M less than a $10M starter’s 1.5 WAR (RosterResource avg.). That’s $8M/WAR saved. April’s 12 games vs. Rockies/D-Backs (60-102, 89-73 last year) are low-stakes—perfect for his 5 IP/start (spring avg.) to eat innings while Peralta’s 200 IP (2024) waits for June-September’s 52 NL Central games (70% of schedule, MLB.com). Divisional races (Cubs/Cardinals, 83-79 each) demand Peralta’s 6.5 IP/start then, not now. Priester’s trade (5 IP, 1 R, April 7) and Alexander’s swing role (FanGraphs) aren’t panic—they’re a controlled burn to bridge IL gaps. Quintana’s 46.9% grounders (FanGraphs) with Ortiz/Turang’s gloves (Platinum Glove) could cut 0.5 R/G (0.02 ERA/GB%, MLB avg), flipping 1-2 of 3 one-run losses (7-5 pace). Necessity? Sure, but it’s a $15M surplus plan choof’s blind to—math doesn’t flinch.
I wish there was a thumbs down option
@choof
Of course you do—when the numbers don’t fit your take, downvotes feel safer than discussion. I laid out data, strategy, and context. You responded with… emoji wishes. That’s not debate, that’s dodgeball.
If you ever decide to argue the idea instead of the identity of the commenter, I’ll be here—with WAR, schedule leverage, and groundball rates. Until then, I’ll assume you’ve conceded the point.
Damn! Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
I agree, the Brewers are playing chess. Top 5 smartest organizations in baseball.
No I just think you’re missing the point. You’re making it sound like the Brewers are being some super smart org by bridging the gap until May. Like I said before it’s out of necessity. No team would want Chad Patrick or Elvin Rodriguez starting in April. Tyler Alexander could be thrown on there too. It’s literally because of injury.
Best of luck Jose Quintana. You saved the Cardinals last competitive season with a strong post trade run. You also pitched well enough to get us a win in the playoffs before Oli blew it. Even crafty, veteran lefthanders can’t overcome cocky, moronic, rookie managers.
Quintana was petty good with both the White Sox and the Cubs, so he gave Chicago a lot of solid to great seasons.
Quintana is dealing tonight. He’s a perfect fit for the slick-fielding, athletic Brewers.
Honestly Milwaukee is going to be in a good position at the trade deadline. Peralta, Quintana, Cortes, Woodruff, Ashby, Civale, Rodriguez, Alexander, Henderson, Miz, Myers, Patrick, Preistor, Gasser. They could trade some guys and still be in great shape. Find some more young good players. Come July would love to see a rotation of Peralta, Woodruff, Miz, Meyers, Patrick and Ashby. With Henderson, Alexander, Rodriguez and Gasser as depth. Maybe then trade Cortes, Civale, Quintana for maybe Baty
I wouldn’t trade Aaron Civale’s 94 year old great uncle for Brett Baty. I assume you’re looking to fill a spot at 3rd base. I like most of the guys the Brewers are already playing at 3rd more than Baty.
Baty’s currently 0 for 4 in his 4 shots at the majors—an ugly 0 for 4. If he can’t pull a rabbit out of his hat in the next several weeks or as soon as McNeil’s healthy you can probably get him for far less than the last two months of Nestor Cortes’ 2025. 27 PA, 3 singles, 11 strikeouts, zero walks. It’s his worst year yet. 62% GB rate. He’s just pounding the ball into the ground more than ever, and it was already a huge problem.
Or the Mets will just send Baty down, bring someone else up as the back IFer, and give the 2B job to Acuna full-time, who at least brings speed, a better glove, and the ability to play SS to the proceedings. They’ll have to move Baty for someone else’s failed, one-time top 40 prospect. No one thought he was particularly bright, but now he’s got a rep as a guy who can’t put what he’s being coached to do into practice.
This certainly worked out great. 7 shutout innings. Dude was dealing.