Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Team Considering Jose Quintana, Again

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to upgrade their starting rotation.  It appears they are looking to add a veteran through free agency.

It has been an interesting offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Just yesterday alone was an interesting day for the Organization.  The Team has been plenty active this offseason, but there are still several moves to come.

With player movement typically comes rumors.  Yesterday, it was reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates were interested in veteran starting pitcher Kyle Gibson.  Apparently, they are not just interested in Gibson, but also another veteran starter.

Rob Biertempfel, who was on the Gibson news, also dropped a little nugget in his most recent article with The Athletic.  According to Biertempfel, the Pittsburgh Pirates are also showing interest in a reunion with Jose Quintana.  Here is what Biertempfel wrote in his article:

"The Pirates also are interested in bringing back lefty José Quintana, sources told The Athletic. Quintana, 33, was superb (6-7, 2.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) this year over 32 starts with the Pirates and Cardinals."

This obviously would be great news for the starting rotation.  Before being dealt away, Quintana was the Pittsburgh Pirates most consistent starter last season.  He owned a 3.50 earned run average before being sent to the St. Louis Cardinals.  With the Cardinals Quintana was even better, pitching to a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts.

The Bucs were able to acquire pitcher Johan Oviedo and prospect Malcom Nunez from the Cardinals in the deal.  Oviedo proved to be an effective starter for the Bucs posting a 3.23 ERA in 7 starts.  The Bucs also traded reliever Chris Stratton in the deal.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates can bring back Jose Quintana, Ben Cherington will deserve a tip of the cap.  To trade a player for a valuable return, and then to turn around and resign the player is obviously a great scenario.  Hopefully, the Bucs are able to bring Q back and help fortify the current young rotation.