Brewers Veteran Predicted To Bolt For 1-Year, $8M Deal With Rival Pirates

The Milwaukee Brewers came into the offseason with major question marks surrounding their pitching staff.

Brandon Woodruff was a free agent to begin the winter, but he came back to Milwaukee on the qualifying offer. Freddy Peralta is a trade candidate right now and a decision looms large over the heads of everybody in Milwaukee.

Veteran pitcher Jose Quintana also sat in free agency, as of Wednesday, and he could be one of the next starting pitchers to sign this offseason. Quintana is coming off a solid season with the Brewers but is likely too old to land a deal longer than one or two years.

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Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicted Quintana would bolt from Milwaukee for a one-year, $8 million deal with the rival Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason.

Jose Quintana would be the perfect next addition for the Pirates

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jose Quintan — Aug 11, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

"The ageless southpaw continued to get the job done in 2025, pitching to a 3.96 ERA across 24 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers," Finkelstein wrote. "Similar to last offseason, Quintana is looking at a potential late signing, which could once again impact what he commands in free agency. Last year, Quintana had to settle for a $4.25 million contract with the Brewers, which ended up being an absolute bargain for Milwaukee.

"Sometimes players can price themselves out of a certain range when they accept a contract like that, but Quintana deserves to make more in 2026. The Pirates traded one of their back-end starters in Mike Burrows to land Brandon Lowe, and now they could use an arm to fortify the back-end of the rotation."

The Pirates have made a slew of moves over the last few months and they might not be done yet. Adding a veteran starting pitcher could be the next move on their to-do list.

Quintana is coming off a good year with the Brewers, but his age likely limits him from landing a big contract. This is good news for the Pirates, who likely couldn't afford Quintana for anything more than $10 million or $15 million a year.

Signing the lefty to a one-year deal would work perfectly. This would allow the team's top prospects to continue developing in the minor leagues while the big-league club quietly gets better.

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