CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs have acquired left-handed pitcher José Quintana in exchange for outfielder Eloy Jiménez, the No. 5 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America’s updated midseason rankings, right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease, first baseman Matt Rose and infielder Bryant Flete (“FLEH-tay”) from the Chicago Whit3 Sox.
With the addition of Jiménez (No. 8) and Cease (63), the White Sox now possess nine of the Top 100 prospects in baseball according to MLB.com, tied for the most in the major leagues. The former top two prospects in the Cubs organization join infielder Yoán Moncada (1), right-hander Michael Kopech (11), outfielder Luis Robert (23), right-handers Lucas Giolito (28), Reynaldo López (36) and Carson Fulmer (59) and catcher Zack Collins (68) on the MLB.com Top 100 list.
“All four players add talent and depth to our organization, which has been one of our very public goals over the past nine months, and their ages and development arc match nicely with some of the other young talent we have been fortunate to add in recent trades, the draft and international signings,” said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior vice president/general manager.
“In Eloy, we are acquiring a player who, similar to Moncada, is viewed as one of the top prospects in baseball today with the potential for major impact in the not too distant future,” said Hahn. “Dylan brings us an impressive young pitcher who is ranked among the top pitching prospects in the game.”
Jiménez, 20, is batting .271 (42-155) with eight home runs, 32 RBI and 23 runs scored over 42 games this season with Class A Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Jiménez missed the first six weeks of the season with a right shoulder injury but rebounded to earn a spot on the World Team at the All-Star Futures Game for the second consecutive season.
Jiménez is a career .293 (284-969) hitter with 64 doubles, 32 home runs, 173 RBI, 137 runs scored and a .841 OPS in 252 games over four minor-league seasons. He signed with the Cubs on August 1, 2013 as the No. 1 ranked international free agent according to MLB.com.
A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Jiménez was named the Cubs organization’s Minor League Player of the Year and Midwest League Most Valuable Player in 2016 after hitting .329 (142-432) with 40 doubles, 14 homers, 81 RBI, 65 runs scored and a .532 slugging percentage in 112 games with Class A South Bend. He also was a Northwest League All-Star with Class A Eugene in 2015.
Cease, 21, is 1-2 with a 2.79 ERA (16 ER/51.2 IP), 74 strikeouts and a .214 (39-182) opponents average over 13 starts this season with Class A South Bend. He has allowed one or no runs eight times and three hits or less 10 times while averaging 12.9 strikeouts per 9.0 IP. Cease threw 6.0 hitless IP on April 19 at Great Lakes and struck out 10 batters over 4.2 IP on April 29 at Fort Worth.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Cease, a native of Milton, Ga., was a Northwest League All-Star in 2016 with Class A Eugene after going 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA (11 ER/44.2 IP), 66 strikeouts and just one home run allowed in 12 starts.
Cease has gone 4-4 with a 3.29 ERA (34 ER/120.1 IP), 165 strikeouts, 1.20 WHIP and just three home runs allowed in 36 career appearances (33 starts) over three seasons (2015-17) in the Cubs organization. He originally was selected by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Milton (Ga.) High School.
Flete, a 24-year-old switch-hitter, is hitting .305 (84-275) with 15 doubles, six homers, 37 RBI, 45 runs scored and a .355 on-base percentage in 70 games with Myrtle Beach this season. He ranks seventh in the CL in average and is batting .407 (24-59) with RISP and .429 (12-28) with RISP/two outs.
A native of Valencia, Venezuela, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Flete is a career .260 hitter (381-1,464) with 60 doubles, 19 triples, 14 home runs, 154 RBI, 222 runs scored, 185 walks and a .350 on-base percentage in 432 games over six seasons (2012-17) in the Cubs organization. He originally signed with the Cubs as a free agent on January 30, 2012.
Rose, 22, is hitting .227 (53-233) with 15 doubles, 14 home runs, 38 RBI and a .481 slugging percentage over 65 games with Myrtle Beach in 2017. His 14 homers are tied for fifth in the Carolina League.
Rose, a native of Palm Bay, Fla., is a career .241 hitter (184-763) with 41 doubles, 35 homers, 134 RBI and a .435 slugging percentage in 211 games over three seasons (2015-17) in the Cubs system. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound, right-handed hitting Rose was selected by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Georgia State University.
Quintana, 28, is 4-8 with a 4.49 ERA (52 ER/104.1 IP) and 109 strikeouts in 18 starts this season, his sixth with the White Sox. He ranks among the American League leaders in games started (T5th) and strikeouts (T8th). Quintana has gone 50-54 with a 3.51 ERA (412 ER/1,055.1 IP) and 890 strikeouts in 172 career games (169 starts) after being signed as a minor-league free agent on November 11, 2011.
“It is always extremely difficult to trade a person and player like José Quintana,” said Hahn, “but difficult as it was, this deal moves us closer to our goal of building a team capable of contending for multiple championships over an extended period of time. José, our scouts and coaches throughout the organization deserve a tremendous amount of credit for his development from a minor-league free agent signee to one of the most sought-after talents in the game.”
This marks the 15th trade in history between the teams involving major-league players, with the most recent coming on November 16, 2006 when the Sox sent left-hander Neal Cotts to the Cubs in exchange for lefty Carlos Vasquez and right-hander David Aardsma.
