The Padres made a sizable addition to the starting rotation in adding Nick Pivetta. Acquiring Jose Quintana would complete a top-tier rotation for San Diego.

When news came down that Joe Musgrove would be getting Tommy John surgery and thus miss the 2025 MLB season, the San Diego Padres starting rotation became an immediate question mark.

Indeed, they have a strong trio atop the rotation in Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. Those three stack up well against almost any other top three in baseball. Then, the Friars signed Pivetta to a four-year deal, deepening the rotation to four legitimate big leaguers with just one question mark remaining.

The Padres could make one more move to solidify and legitimize the five-man rotation.

Jose Quintana is still attracting interest in the market, despite remaining unsigned.

Teams like the Mets, Rangers, and Padres are expected to target the 13-season MLB left-hander in the coming hours, per sources.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) February 19, 2025

Jose Quintana had something of a renaissance during his time with the Mets. Between 2019 and 2022, with the Cubs, Angels, and Giants, he posted a woeful 5.13 ERA and 86 ERA+ (100 being average) in 244 innings.

Then, something clicked after he signed with the Mets ahead of the 2023 season. Over the last two years, the lefty has a respectable 3.70 ERA and 109 ERA+ in 246 innings. The Colombian tossed 170 innings for the Mets last year, becoming a crucial part of their strong team that made it all the way to the NLCS. He even made three starts during the postseason last year, with a 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.

He seemed to really enjoy facing the Padres last year, as well. In his lone start at Petco Park, he tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings. He added six innings of one-run ball against the Friars in New York.

The Padres’ only left-handed starting option at the moment is Kyle Hart, fresh from the KBO. He is an unknown commodity. Quintana is a known quantity.

The offseason is officially over. Spring Training games begin on Thursday and Friday for the Padres. Players who are still free agents likely aren’t going to get top dollar. Last year, Quintana played for $13 million. At this time of the calendar, he is unlikely to replicate that.

According to FanGraphs, the Padres are just $2 million under the second tax threshold after blowing past the first one to sign a flurry of free agents over the last few weeks. It’s doubtful the Friars are willing to cross that next threshold. If the Padres were to sign Quintana, it would have to be at a cheaper price tag for 2024, perhaps in a backloaded deal akin to Pivetta’s, along with the Padres making a move elsewhere to reduce payroll.

That doesn’t mean they have to trade away Dylan Cease, like some continue to think. There are other ways the Padres can shave a few million dollars off the books to make room for Quintana.

Finances aside, Quintana possibly being the No. 5 starter in this rotation would make this one of the deepest rotations in baseball. He doesn’t need to be an All-Star. Like Pivetta, he simply needs to provide stability and reliability to the back of San Diego’s rotation. Having a deep pitching staff is one of the secrets to winning a championship. If the Padres want to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy this fall, they need a deep, reliable pitching staff to get there.

Quintana would solidify the Padres’ place in the pecking order in the chase for the ultimate prize.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.