White Sox Lock Up Jose Quintana

The White Sox made it clear during the offseason that Jose Quintana was a pitcher they saw as part of their future when they shopped (and eventually dealt) Hector Santiago over him while searching for help elsewhere.

Monday, they took it a step further, locking up the 25-year-old through at least 2018 with two option years that could keep him in a White Sox uniform through 2020. The deal will be worth between $21 and $26.5 million, depending on whether Quintana is arbitration eligible after the 2014 season.

Quintana was something of an anomaly when he burst onto the scene in 2012 after the White Sox picked him up off the scrap heap from the New York Yankees. In 2013, he proved his performance wasn't a fluke, throwing 200 innings and putting up an ERA+ of 122 while being worth 5.4 bWAR.

The deal gives the White Sox a pair of bargains at the top of their rotation. Chris Sale is signed through 2019 for $60 million and has continuously put up numbers beyond what he's paid and if Quintana continues at his impressive pace, the team will have to worry little about the front end of their rotation for a considerable amount of time.