Why Quantrill, why now?

Why Cal Quantrill, why now?

To say it is less about Cal Quantrill and more about others is perhaps an oversimplification of the situation.

As the old line goes it isn't you, it's me…

Actually…

Well, you get it. 

So why Cal Quantrill, why now?

Cleveland enters the offseason with a quandary on their hands. How do they improve their lineup?

It seems to be the same thing year after year after year. What makes anything different now?

Motivation.

One word. It's that simple. They have the motive, the desire, the urge to maximize the window of opportunity that is set before them. With the young rotation, Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, Emmanuel Clase, and a core of emerging bats like the Naylor brothers with other reinforcements quickly on the way.

So why Cal Quantrill and not Shane Bieber?

Leverage. It is a beautiful thing to explore the options that are on the table. Maybe it's better said that by putting options on the table Cleveland creates an opportunity to make a deal. That's exactly what the organization did by designating Quantrill for assignment. There's a ten-day window to make a move before he enters waivers and would then be subject to being claimed via waivers. Believe it or not, this creates some leverage because it makes Quantrill available to every team making Cleveland’s intentions clear. They are moving on. The return won't be high, it's likely to be a depressed value deal (perhaps, a non-tender candidate for Quantrill or a singular prospect) assuming one gets done and it's not a sure thing. However, it's not uncommon for teams to make such a move when they intend to clear a roster spot and have a few options.

https://twitter.com/Steve_Kinsella1/status/1724574909748105339?t=Q27Sx_YaCo346LXCqQGFmg&s=19

Impact. Losing Quantrill won't hit as hard as the loss of Shane Bieber (this is huge). A lot of digital ink has already been spilled on the Aaron Civale trade. Including Kyle Manzardo’s future impact (don't forget that) the team’s response and the fallout that followed. Bieber has the potential to front the rotation assuming he stays healthy. This creates the option for the club to revisit a deadline deal. For those wondering what his value would be, check out the Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty deals this past summer. Additionally, assuming Bieber pitches out his deal the club gets his on-field value and presumably draft pick compensation. The latter would be indicative of a strong performance and likely a strong playoff push.

Value. Quantrill has been a solid backend starter for Cleveland over the last three seasons. He has two seasons of control via arbitration making it a year-to-year deal. Over the last three seasons, Quantrill has averaged over 140 innings across an average of 23 starts per season. Considering the cost of other arms/fifth starter types like Kyle Gibson and Wade Miley in free agency roughly $5-$10 million, Quantrill could be a valued asset with upside.

Excess. Dealing from excess is often the organization's play. In this case, there's no clear cut role for the former Stanford Cardinal righty. His contract status makes him both affordable and expendable. Quantrill should be affordable for many clubs even on the lower end of the spectrum. While Cleveland (clearly) sees Quantrill as an expendable arm, there is no clear-cut path for innings.

(Fansided's Robert Murray)

As Fansided Robert Murray alluded to in his recent piece (last week), Quantrill is an affordable trade asset. The right-hander is arbitration-eligible for the second go around this winter. According to MLBTraderumors.com, Quantrill could be in line for a contract of just shy of $7 million. With a great number of teams concerned about their payroll in large part due to the Diamond Sports Group (Bally Sports) bankruptcy case affordability matters. Cleveland is one of those teams impacted by income uncertainty.

Ultimately, making this move ahead of the non-tender deadline means Cleveland likely won't be tendering a contract but potentially his new club will be (by the same deadline) if he is dealt in the next few days. Designating Quantrill for assignment on Tuesday gives the club a few days (technically a ten-day window) to work on any deal. Finally, this allows them to move in advance of the non-tender deadline and ahead of an expanding free-agent market. That's important because it gives them a jump on the market if they can make a deal before the non-tender deadline. It also allows Cleveland to enter the offseason with limited resources available.