The Cardinals acquired Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for RHP Johan Oviedo and 3B Malcom Nunez.
The Cardinals landed the top lefty on this year’s trade market, Jose Quintana. Quintana has started 20 games with the Pirates, putting up a 3.50 ERA and a 3.78 xFIP. At the time of this trade Quintana is tied for 22nd in WAR and has the 9th lowest HR/9 among qualified starters. This season Quintana has been a steady starter who keeps the ball in the park, his 4-seamer has an 85.6 MPH average EV which is tied for the lowest among all starters who have thrown at least 50 4-seamers. By missing barrels and giving up soft contact, Quintana should help the Cardinals win games moving forward.
The Cardinals also added reliever Chris Stratton in the deal. Stratton a former first round pick by the San Francisco Giants doesn’t have great career numbers, a 4.61 ERA and a 4.36 xFIP, but he is one of the best at spinning the baseball. This season his 4-seamer has averaged 2631 RPM and his curveball has averaged 3188 RPM, both of which land him in the top 1% of the league. He has also been in at least the 97th percentile of curveball spin every season since his big league debut in 2016.
The Pirates landed two players in return for Quintana and Stratton, the first of which being RHP Johan Oviedo. Oviedo who is most well known for getting into a shouting match with Mike Yastrzemski during a game last year; has a solid fastball/slider combination that could lead to him becoming a spot starter or even an integral part of the Pirates bullpen. With his fastball sitting in the mid to upper 90’s and a plus slider to pair with it, the 24 year old Oviedo has a solid base to build upon. He still has control issues and hasn’t developed anything more than an average third pitch, but he is still young enough to work through these issues.
The other player the Pirates added in the deal is 3B Malcom Nunez. Listed as a third baseman, Nunez will likely be limited to a DH role due to a lack of athleticism. He is an above average hitter with above average power, this showed when he burst onto the scene in 2018 posting an otherworldly 31 extra base hits in 44 rookie ball games. Along with the 31 XBH, came a .415/.497/.774 slash line and a 238 wRC+. He has since leveled out as he has progressed through the minors, but still posted a respectable .823 OPS and 110 wRC+ across 85 games with the Cardinals Double-A squad. At only 21 years old, Nunez will likely continue to develop his bat as well as improve his approach at the plate.
The Cardinals added some pitching pieces they felt they needed to make a deep playoff push, while the Pirates flipped a pending free agent and a 32 year old for two players below the age of 25.