Look who’s making moves late in the Major League Baseball offseason. The Milwaukee Brewers, a team that’s been pinching pennies all winter, are finally opening the checkbook (sort of) to bring in some much-needed pitching depth.
Reports say they’ve reached a deal with veteran lefty José Quintana, locking him in on a one-year, $4.25 million contract.
That includes a $4 million base salary, a $250K roster bonus, and some incentives for good measure. The signing isn’t official yet, but once it is, Milwaukee will need to shuffle the roster to make room.
What the Brewers Are Getting in Quintana
Now, let’s talk about what the Brewers are actually getting here. Quintana is 36 years old and, at this point, more of a steady innings-eater than a game-changer.
He just wrapped up a two-year, $26 million stint with the Mets. His surface numbers looked solid, but the deeper metrics painted a less flattering picture.
In 2023, a rib fracture kept him out until mid-July. But when he returned, he posted a respectable 3.57 ERA over 13 starts. Not bad, right? Well, dig a little deeper, and you’ll see that his strikeout rate was at a low 18.8%, and his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) suggested he was benefiting from some good luck.
The story was similar in 2024: 31 starts, 170 1/3 innings, and a 3.75 ERA. Again, the numbers under the hood—like his 4.56 FIP and 4.57 SIERA—hinted that he wasn’t quite as effective as that ERA suggests.
Brewers Rotation is Full of Question Marks
But let’s be real: Milwaukee isn’t paying for a front-line ace here. They’re paying for stability, and that’s valuable for a team with so many rotation question marks.
The Brewers’ pitching staff is in rough shape. Robert Gasser is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won’t be back until 2025. Brandon Woodruff is working his way back from shoulder surgery and is a big question mark.
DL Hall just suffered a lat strain and will start the season on the injured list. That leaves Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, and Tobias Myers as the likely rotation pieces. Guys like Tyler Alexander and Aaron Ashby in the mix as well.
Adding Quintana to this group gives them some veteran stability, even if he’s not going to light up the radar gun or rack up strikeouts.
A Cooling Market for Veteran Starters
What’s really interesting here is how the market has played out for veteran starters. Earlier in the offseason, it looked like Quintana could’ve secured a two-year, $20 million deal—MLBTR even predicted that kind of payday for him.
But after the early spending spree that saw guys like Frankie Montas (2 years, $34M) and Matthew Boyd (2 years, $29M) cash in, the market cooled off considerably.
Andrew Heaney had to settle for a $5.25M deal with Pittsburgh, and Quintana reportedly turned down a better offer from the Pirates before landing with Milwaukee.
For the Brewers, this move makes sense. They’ve been operating with almost no financial wiggle room this offseason, so getting an experienced arm for this price is a logical play.
Even if Quintana ends up with an ERA in the mid-4.00s, he’s a guy who can take the ball every fifth day, eat some innings, and help stabilize a rotation that has more questions than answers.
Starting Pitcher Options Are Getting Slim
For teams still hunting for late-offseason pitching help, options are getting slim. Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Spencer Turnbull are still floating around in free agency.
The trade market could feature names like Jordan Montgomery and Taijuan Walker—though their contracts are significantly larger than what pitchers like Quintana are getting at this stage.
Bottom line? The Brewers aren’t making a splash here but are making a smart, necessary move. Quintana isn’t flashy, but a little predictability can go a long way in a rotation full of uncertainty.
