Mets rumors: 3 players who weren’t traded at the deadline, but will be this offseason
By Josh Wilson
Mets who weren’t traded but will be: Jose Quintana
It was somewhat shocking to see the trade deadline come and go with the Mets moving three pitchers, not one of them named Jose Quintana. He was gaining trade interest in late July according to Andy Martino of SNY.
New York may have cannibalized the market on Quintana by moving Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, plus Quintana’s ongoing injury issues probably pushed teams away. That could work out in the Mets’ favor, though, because it gives them time to establish a reasoning for higher bids on Quintana, who is still early in his own 2023 season.
Quintana has started just three games this season, so teams looking for arms right now may not have had faith that Quintana could be a reliable addition to their starting rotation.
Now, the Mets have the rest of the year to roll him out there and continue building up his profile as a starter worth trading for. He’s under contract all of next year, and with a weak free agent market, the Mets could posture him as a pitcher better than what teams would be able to get on a one-year deal in the open market. He may serve as a stop-gap add to a starting rotation to help teams bridge the gap to 2025, which could be a stronger free agent class.
In his three starts, Quintana has a 3.57 ERA but a much better 2.98 FIP.