New York Yankees
Yankees get: Jose Quintana
White Sox get: Jorge Mateo, Aaron Judge, Blake Rutherford, Dillon Tate
The New York Yankees have likely dropped out of the Quintana trade talks. Brian Cashman recently reported that the team is done adding for the 2017 season. Duquette didn’t shy away from those rumors writing that there’s a good chance the Yankees hold on to their prospects.
As the rest of the AL East builds, the Yankees may feel as if they need Quintana. Adding a consistent starting pitcher to pair with Masahiro Tanaka could put New York over the edge in the East.
But with that possibility seeming more and more unlikely, this trade scenario seems improbable. However the Yankees remain one of the best potential landing spots for Quintana, making a trade atleast somewhat possible.
In this deal the White Sox get three top 100 prospects in Jorge Mateo, Aaron Judge and Blake Rutherford, as well as a former top five pick in Dillon Tate. After receiving mainly pitching in their Chris Sale and Adam Eaton trades, adding three stud hitters would even out the team’s rebuild.
The White Sox would be missing out on the Yankees top two prospects, but they arguably get the most talent in this deal.
Mateo is the Yankees third best prospect and the 18th best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. In his 323 minor league games, Mateo has hit .270 with 18 homeruns, 122 RBIs and 182 stolen bases.
Mateo’s top skill is obviously his speed. With the White Sox he would likely lead off and be a dangerous threat on the base path. While he would need to find a new position because of Tim Anderson, he would be an offense weapon for Chicago and one of the White Sox best prospects.
Judge is the Yankees fourth best prospect and the 22nd best prospect in baseball. Judge got his first taste of major league action in 2016, appearing in 27 games. He hit .179 with four homeruns and 10 RBIs. He fared much better in his 348 minor league games, hitting .278 with 56 homeruns, 215 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Judge has 30+ homerun potential in the major leagues. He would be a stalwart in the middle of the White Sox lineup as their 3rd or 4th hitter. Judge would be either the Sox’ left or right fielder of the future.
Rutherford is the team’s fifth best prospect and the 51st best prospect in baseball. He has appeared in just 33 games, hitting .351 with three homeruns and 12 RBIs.
Rutherford is going to need a lot more time in the minor leagues, however he should develop into one of the better hitters in the league. His swing will allow him to hit for a high average with decent power. He would likely start in the opposite corner outfield spot from Judge on the White Sox.
Tate isn’t as highly touted as the other three, yet he is the Yankees 11th best prospect. He has appeared in 30 minor league games and 91.1 innings. Tate holds a career 4-3 record with a 4.34 ERA and a 78/36 K/BB ratio.
Tate will likely need more time in the minor leagues, and may only pan out as a reliever. But he is an intriguing arm and an interesting prospect piece as the fourth player in this proposed trade.
Getting a coup featuring three top 100 prospects is quite the haul for the Sox. Having that group headlined by a player of Mateo’s quality would be almost too much to turn down in a Jose Quintana trade.
