Brewers Reportedly Lose 14-Year Veteran All-Star to Rockies

The end of Jose Quintana's one-year tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers seemed likely all offseason, but it took until the dawn of spring training to become assured.

It became clear at some point in the last week that the Colorado Rockies were hot on the trail of veteran starting pitching, and they didn't pick a bad year to wait out the market. After signing 36-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano early in the day, Colorado reportedly struck again late in the evening.

According to a Tuesday night report from Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Rockies and Quintana agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract for the upcoming season.

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Why bringing Quintana back didn't make sense for Brewers

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jose Quintana (62) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There never seemed to be much traction to the idea of Quintana coming back to Milwaukee, even though he served exactly the purpose he was meant to serve in his age-36 season. He's unlikely to ever return to the All-Star heights he reached back in 2016 with the Chicago White Sox, but he's still producing.

In 131 2/3 innings for the Brewers, Quintana posted a 3.96 ERA despite only striking out 89 batters. He had an 11-7 record on the mound, his highest win total since 2019 with the Chicago Cubs.

In October, the Brewers found themselves turning to Quintana with their season on the line, albeit already facing a 3-0 deficit in the National League Championship Series against the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers. He took the loss, giving up the first of three home runs to Shohei Ohtani in a 5-1 defeat.

One might have theorized that because the Brewers wound up trading away ace Freddy Peralta, bringing back Quintana would have provided some valuable veteran depth. But Milwaukee is leaning into the youth movement in the rotation, with Brandon Woodruff as the only realistic starting pitching candidate to start the year over the age of 30.

Quintana's excellent career now takes him to his ninth team for a 15th season. The Brewers will wish him well, but also look to feast on his low velocity when they see him at the offensive haven of Coors Field.

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