Ex-Mets starter Jose Quintana changes course on WBC qualifier

Former New York Mets starter Jose Quintana was set to start a WBC qualifier for his home country of Colombia but sat out. What does this mean for the veteran?

Oct 17, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game four of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Could a major league deal be imminent for New York Mets' free agent target Jose Quintana?

It has been an interesting offseason across MLB, to say the least. While the free agent market expectedly took a slow burn approach as teams awaited the decision of superstar Juan Soto, it has also taken an immense amount of time for some veterans to find new homes. There are still multiple veterans coming off of fantastic seasons that are sitting home without a contract.

Quintana, 36, is one of those veterans. After pitching to a 3.75 ERA in 2024, his second season with the Mets, he still does not have a team he can call home. That could be changing sooner rather than later, however, after the lefty sat out Colombia's World Baseball Classic Qualifying game, a contest he was originally slated to start for his home country.

Colombia won their first game of the WBC qualifier with former Mets playing key roles:

—Julio Teherán 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
—Ezequiel Zabaleta 1 IP, 0 R, 2 K
—Dilson Herrera 2-for-3, 2 2B, BB

José Quintana was supposed to start this game but decided not to participate.

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 3, 2025

It is not as if the veteran has not received offers. The Pittsburgh Pirates offered Quintana a deal larger than one year, $5.25 million. Quintana turned the offer down, and the Pirates pivoted to Andrew Heaney, who received the $5.25 million for his services in 2025.

Read more: Ex-Mets pitcher rejected free agency offer from rival NL team, per insider

The rumors have been running rampant over the last month of the Mets being interested in Quintana to shore up the rotation. It is hard to believe the interest has done anything but grow over the second half of February, especially with the team taking multiple blows to their rotation.

Both Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea, two of the Mets' projected top-three starters, are starting the year on the injured list. This leaves the team with Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn, and Griffin Canning as the projected starters for Opening Day.

Source: Jose Quintana is very interested in reunion with Mets and would love to come back

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) February 19, 2025

While there are certainly worse rotations in MLB, the current configuration for the Mets leaves much to be desired in the daunting National League East. A left-handed veteran the likes of Jose Quintana could go a long way to shoring up the unit, especially with the success he had in Queens over the last two seasons.

Quintana sitting out his regularly scheduled start could mean nothing. But at the same time, with the veteran being in talks with teams and still trying to find a home for the MLB season, it is far more likely that a deal is close.