SAN FRANCISCO -- Trade deadline season officially kicked off Thursday morning in a shocking way. A couple of team Twitter accounts scooped the industry, announcing the Jose Quintana-for-top prospects deal in Chicago.
It's a good fit for both sides. The Cubs get a controllable ace to try and turn this season around and be part of future Wrigley contenders. The White Sox continued to load a system that's laughably deep with potential stars; they now have nine of the top 100 players in the minors according to MLB Pipeline.
A key word this time of year is "fit," and in that respect, Thursday wasn't a great day for the Giants. There aren't many contenders out there that could take on Johnny Cueto, knowing that he could opt in for $84 million after this year, but the Cubs were near the top of the list. Quintana figures to plug that hole.
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A couple of hours later, the Yankees picked up a Triple-A first baseman, Garrett Cooper, from the Brewers. Again, there's a small ripple effect. The Giants don't intend to trade Brandon Belt, but they'll listen on any player not named Posey, Bumgarner or Crawford, and the Yankees have long been rumored as a potential home for Belt if the Giants kickstart a massive rebuild at some point. A couple of team officials have New York at the top of the list if the Giants trade veterans for prospects. With Cooper now added to Greg Bird, that problem also could to be solved for the Yankees for years to come.
The Giants want to compete next year and Belt should be part of that. Cueto might be. But it's good to have options, and the Giants might have lost a couple in the last few hours.