Blue Jays, left-handed free agent target reaches deal with Milwaukee Brewers

Robert Murray was the first to report the deal, while Francys Romero and Mark Feinsand were the first on salary details.

Quintana, a 36 year old lefty, was one of the last big name free agent pitchers left on the market and had just come off a two year, $25MM deal with the New York Mets.

Given his status as a left-handed starter, many felt that he would have been a good fit for the Toronto Blue Jays whose rotation consists solely of right handed pitchers. Earlier in the offseason, Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson had mentioned Quintana as someone the Blue Jays could pursue to fill the back-end of their rotation.

It is unknown whether the Blue Jays, who ended up signing Max Scherzer to a one year deal, had engaged in any formal discussions with Quintana, who was an All-Star in 2016.

Quintana could slot in as the Brewers number four or five starter alongside Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, and Tobias Myers. Milwaukee also has Brandon Woodruff working his way back from injury, though it is unclear when he will be a viable option.

While the signing of Scherzer likely closed the door on the Blue Jays adding more starting pitching depth, the slow starts of both Bowden Francis and Yariel Rodriguez, combined with injuries to Adam Macko and Adam Kloffenstein, may cause the front office to re-evaluate their positions.