Cubs Pick up Option on Veteran Starter Jose Quintana
By Chris Pyo
After a lackluster season in which the Chicago Cubs went 84-78 and failed to reach the playoffs, the Cubs are definitely looking to regroup and make a championship push for the 2020 MLB season.
They'll choose to do so with veteran starter Jose Quintana, whose team option was picked up by the Cubs today.
Cubs pick up option on José Quintana while declining their option on Derek Holland.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) November 2, 2019
Quintana's 2019 season was evidently solid enough for general manager Theo Epstein to pick up his option, which was for $10.5 million. Last year, Quintana went 13-9 with a 4.68 ERA, and while that earned run average isn't the prettiest, his track record with the Cubs helped his case.
Cubs announce two decisions today: José Quintana's team option ($10.5M) picked up and Derek Holland's team option declined ($500K buyout).
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) November 2, 2019
The Cubs will prospectively slot Quintana as the fourth or fifth starter in the rotation, behind Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks. Two years ago, that rotation would've been as intimidating as ever, but these days the Cubs' starting pitching has been underwhelming.
Newly-hired manager David Ross will hope to get some solid innings out of Quintana this year in the back-end of the rotation, as the Cubs try to recreate the magic of their 2016 World Series win.