The Milwaukee Brewers formally announced the signing of LHP Jose Quintana on Wednesday afternoon to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2026. The veteran continues his tour of the NL Central after four years with the Cubs, and one year with both the Cardinals and Pirates.
“The decision to play here is [because] I’ve pitched really well in the central division,” Quintana said. “I really like this group. Facing them, I saw how electric they are, how hungry they play the game.”
Of Quintana’s 12 full seasons in MLB, he has thrown at least 150 innings in nine of them. The Colombia-native also faced the Brewers in Game 3 of the 2024 Wild Card Series tossing six shutout innings not factoring into the decision.
“I’m really happy he’s on our side now, I believe in the person, I believe in his preparation,” Manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday. “He’s going to come on fast and he’s really going to help us out.”
The veteran Quintana estimates he’s only about a week behind schedule of what a normal spring training would look like in his build-up. He’s up to 40 pitches in his own workouts before signing, and feels there is plenty of time to be ready for the opening day rotation.
“There’s still time to be in a real game, and start to face hitters and make that adjustment,” Quintana said. He also quickly noticed the team culture built on success – now that he’s within the walls of the team that he has started against 22 times in his career.
“I guarantee he’s pitched against us at least 20 times,” Murphy said. When he learned of the real tally Murph quipped “I had a pit in my stomach for all 22.”
The Brewers’ rotation took a blow to its depth with Aaron Ashby exiting Monday’s game with an oblique strain – his timeline still to be determined. The corresponding move to add Quintana to the active roster was move DL Hall (lat strain) to the 60-day injured list. For now, the rotation following Freddy Peralta appears to include Nestor Cortes, Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale, and now Quintana.
“It’s helpful to add depth,” Murphy said. The move also gives more time for rehabbing arms Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser to make an impact in the 2025 season. “Great job by Matt Arnold,” Murph added.
From game 163 to countless other regular season matchups, Quintana has quickly learned how the Brewers continue to exceed expectations.
“Right away I pass the clubhouse and I feel that energy … and now I understand after a couple days how they win.”
