Jose Quintana was never coming to Cleveland

Jose Quintana has been traded to the Chicago Cubs, putting to rest the unlikely possibility he would end up with the Cleveland Indians.

Cleveland Indians fans are adjusting to the idea of the team once again being buyers at the MLB trade deadline. After so many years of selling top talent to acquire prospects, the team is now looking to add pieces to compete for a World Series title.

Starting pitching is a glaring need for this team, which is why some fans floated around the possibility of the team trading for Jose Quintana. That is no longer possible after the left-hander has switched clubs, albeit in the same city.

The Chicago Cubs gave up their top two prospects, according to MLB.com, in Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease, which is something the Indians would have been foolish to do.

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While Indians fans may have wanted Quintana and his team-friendly contract, a few things held up a potential swap between the White Sox and the Indians.

The first thing is the fact both teams play in the same division.  The White Sox don’t want to trade their best pitcher to help the Indians win a division crown both teams are vying for in the next several years.

At the same time, the Indians don’t want the prospects developed in the organization for years to become mainstays on a divisional rival.

The move would help both teams on paper, but there is always that paranoia of trading prospects who turn out to be superstars, especially for a pitcher who is not among the best in all of baseball, at least not yet.

The next thing holding up a potential trade is the fact the Indians’ top prospects factor in as helping the team in the near future. Specifically, Francisco Mejia should be the team’s starting catcher as early as next season.

Any major trade would likely involve Mejia, as was seen a year ago when he was included in the failed Jonathan Lucroy deal.

It is going to take some major talent for the Indians to land another ace in the rotation, but doing so and giving up Mejia may be too high of a price for a team without a dominant force at catcher.

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A trade for Quintana may have never been possible, but seeing the haul the Cubs gave up gives Indians fans an idea of the asking price in the market for the rest of the month. It is now up to the front office to decide if one player can take this team to the next level and warrant a trade that could hurt the future of this team.