What It Means:

The defending World Series champs responded to a disappointing 43-45 first half by adding a high-end starter to their rotation. Quintana struggled a bit to open the year, but he entered the break strong, recording a 2.70 ERA over the past seven starts, including back-to-back shutouts in June. On the other side of the equation, the White Sox farm system just keeps getting stronger following their offseason acquisition of Yoan Moncada. Jiménez was recently ranked fifth in the sport by Baseball America while Cease was considered second-best in the Cubs' organization.

For the season, Quintana owns a 4.49 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 24.5 strikeout percentage (K%) while going 4-8 in 18 starts (104 1/3 innings). numberFire's models project the 28-year-old left-hander to twirl a 4.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 20.8 K% in 85 2/3 innings over the remainder of the year.