In 2006, the Mets signed Quintana as a free agent, out of Columbia.

In 2007, Quintana did not play because he was suspended for violating the terms of minor league baseball's drug policy.

After not pitching professionally in 2007, the Yankees signed Jose, giving the lefthander a second opportunity. He then spent two full seasons in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League before pitching in the U.S.

On May 30, 2012, Quintana was ejected by umpire Mark Wegner from a game against the Rays after throwing a pitch behind Ben Zobrist.

Jeff Samardzija has been impressed by Quintana's pitching. "He attacks—that's a great word for it," Samardzija said. "He gets a lot of quick outs. He pounds the zone with three or four great pitches. When you do that, you're going to be pretty successful."  (Kaye - mlb.com - 2/25/2015)

Spring 2017: Quintana played for Columbia in the World Baseball Classic.

JIMMY FALLON

Jose made a promise at the end of the 2013 season. Jose, a native of Colombia, wanted to become fluent in English, being able to converse with his teammates and do his interviews with the media in the same way. And when Spring Training began in 2014, Quintana had achieved his goal.

No interpreter was needed, aside from occasional clarification on a point or two from Billy Russo, who serves in that role currently for the White Sox. Quintana was basically self-taught, aside from a couple of Chicago classes. His learning process began in-season, speaking with his teammates, listening closely to what they were saying and processing the words. He also watched American television shows to help pick up the language.

What were the shows Quintana relied upon, you may ask? "Who is that guy who made the Boston Red Sox movie?" asked Quintana, referring to "Fever Pitch."

"Jimmy Fallon," Russo responded.

"I watched his show," Quintana said, smiling a little broader at this point. "I watched a couple of TV shows from him. It's really funny."  So the current host of "The Tonight Show" contributed to the current ace of the White Sox putting yet another impressive accomplishment on his resume. Ultimately, this is not a tale of Quintana's late-night endorsement as much as it's about the easy dedication and fervor with which Quintana approaches life.

"That's part of my job and I put a lot of effort in to learn that language," Quintana said. "It's fun. It's fun when you can talk with American guys and know what they mean and everything. It's a different language, sometimes a different style."  (Merkin - mlb.com - 3/22/2017)

After appearing as a guest on "The Tonight Show," with Jimmy Fallon, Jose has decided against a career in acting—at least in the near future.

"No, no. I'll keep pitching," Quintana said with a broad smile. "But it was good, and we had a meeting and spent a really good time there."

The connection between Quintana and Fallon began during Spring Training 2017, when Jose told MLB.com about watching Fallon's show as one of the ways in which he taught himself English. The White Sox, through Major League Baseball, helped set up this meeting during the team's visit to New York.

Quintana taped the segment April 16. In the segment, Quintana confirmed his English connection to Fallon and then helped Fallon learn some Spanish.

"Me llamo Jimmy Fallon," said Quintana, as he helped Fallon say his name in Spanish.

Fallon repeated that statement and did the same when Quintana said, "I am the host of the Tonight Show" in Spanish. And the last one interjected a little more humor, with Fallon saying in Spanish, "I forgot my wallet. Can you pay for my thong?"

There was even a shout-out of "Q" from Fallon at the segment's close. "It was fun. It was a great time. I was excited. I was a little nervous, but it was really easy. He made it easy for me," Quintana said. "He was a good guy.  He was a natural guy. It was a great experience for me, and he asked me a lot about baseball, and we spent a good time together."

Jose rehearsed a little bit before the taping, but added it was pretty easy from the start. He received support and a little playful ribbing from his teammates over the appearance.  "They were excited," Quintana said. "They said, 'You're the funny guy right now.' They were excited for me and said he's the best famous guy in the country, and I said, 'I know, I know. I watched his show.' So everybody was excited for me yesterday." (Merkin - mlb.com - 4/19/2017)

July 28, 2017: After Jose collected his first Major League hit, a single to right in the third inning, he just wanted to touch the baseball. Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar obliged, handing the ball to Quintana as he stood on first base.

"I was excited when I hit that ball to right field," Quintana said. "I'm not a hitter, but I tried to do my best. When I got the hit, I was real excited. I wanted to touch the ball—it was good."

He had the ball in a box on his locker shelf after the game. Quintana knows the Cubs acquired him to bolster the rotation in the final months of the season.

"Every game counts," Quintana said. "I'm really happy to feel that atmosphere every night when I go to the mound. It was a tough night for me." (C Muskat - MLB.com - July 29, 2017)

In 2008, Carlos Chantres was a coach in the Yankees' organization when he first saw Jose at the team's Dominican Republic academy. "I still remember to this day, walking down a path and to my left, I see him throwing, and I said, 'Who's this?'" Chantres said of the then-19-year-old lefty. "I keep walking, and I get to the fence and he's pretty good. It was just the way the ball was coming out of his hand. The arm worked nice."

Chantres could see a few mechanical flaws in Quintana's delivery, but he knew they were fixable. "He had an idea of his delivery already," Chantres said. "We tweaked some stuff, nothing crazy. He was a smart kid. He learned English quickly. We worked on staying back a little bit, the balance stuff, but overall, the credit is to him."

Asked if there was one coach who had the most influence on him, Quintana picked Chantres, now in the Braves' organization. The two still stay in touch, texting about once a month to catch up on their families, baseball and life.

Chantres sensed that Quintana was motivated. The pitcher had signed with the Mets in 2006, but he was released in July 2007. The Yankees signed him in March 2008.  "His getting released opened his eyes a little bit," Chantres said. "'I'm not on a team now—what do I do?' That second chance with the Yankees, that was huge."

Quintana is motivated in the 2018 season as well. He wants another trip to the postseason and more games like his Cubs debut on July 16 against the Orioles, when he struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings.

Chantres saw what Quintana could be 10 years ago in the Dominican Republic.

"That's his rhythm, that's his timing," Chantres said. "That was the timing he needed to get to all his key points. Once he got to those key points, he started. I wanted to take him when I was the pitching coach at Class A Charleston, I wanted him. They told me he needed to stay [in the lower levels]. Things happen for a reason. He stayed there and got called up to pitch in high A in a spot start. He went back up again because a guy couldn't start, and he stayed there.

"He's a pro. Everything he does, he's a pro," Chantres said. "God bless him, it worked out for him."  (Muskat - mlb.com - 3/20/2018)

Here are some things you should know about "Q":

–Growing up in Colombia, he admired Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera. "Edgar Renteria was my hero," Quintana said. "He's my friend. He lives in the same city where I live, close to me. He's a great person. I learned a lot from him."

–Quintana was a first baseman and center fielder, and he didn't start pitching until he was 15 years old.

–Yes, Quintana did watch Jimmy Fallon on television to learn English. There was something about Fallon's accent that made it easy for Quintana to understand. Quintana did appear on "The Tonight Show" in April 2017 to talk about the experience. "It was pretty special," Quintana said. "He's a famous guy in this country, but most important, he's a great person. That's what I saw when I talked to him." 

–It was with the Yankees and Chantres that Quintana learned to develop a routine to prepare for his starts. Chantres, whose family is Cuban and who lives in Miami, was with Quintana in the Dominican Republic in 2008 and 2009, and again in 2010 when the lefty was pitching in the Gulf Coast League.

"He put in the hard work and applied everything we talked about, and the rest is history," Chantres said. "He's a pro. That's the best way to describe him. He knows what to do, he goes about his business well. He knows how to carry himself. Props to him, because he had to go through some adversity, not getting called up, stuff like that, coming from Colombia. Again, it was all him. He deserves all the credit."

–During a Spring Training 2018 simulated game, one of the observers was Adbert Alzolay. The Venezuelan pitcher, ranked No. 1 on MLB Pipeline's list of Top 30 Cubs prospects, tried to watch every one of Quintana's side sessions. Lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny downloaded four of Quintana's games to his iPad to study.  Quintana's delivery is so precise that youngsters want to copy it.  (Muskat - mlb.com - 3/20/2018)

Quintana is the only pitcher to make 10 or more starts for both the Cubs and White Sox in the same season.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana didn’t receive a positive injury update after he was forced to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic. The Mets announced that Quintana has a small stress fracture in his left rib cage. The pitcher is headed back to New York for further tests.

 Jose Quintana was supposed to pitch for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. (March 6, 2023 - Anthony Riccobono)

TRANSACTIONS

2006: The Mets signed Quintana as a free agent, out of Columbia.

2007: The Mets released Quintana.

March 10, 2008: He signed as a free agent with the Yankees.

November 6, 2010: Quintana became a free agent.

December 15, 2010: He again signed with the Yankees as a free agent. 

November 10, 2011: Quintana signed with the White Sox organization.

March 24, 2014: Jose and the White Sox agreed on a five-year contract that could be worth as much as $26 million guaranteed. Two team options could take the deal into the 2020 season and possibly make the total value $48 million. 

July 13, 2017: Quintana was traded to the Cubs in exchange for two Top 100 Prospects—outfielder Eloy Jimenez (No. 8) and RHP Dylan Cease (No. 63), plus first baseman Matt Rose and infielder Bryant Flete.

Nov 2, 2019: The Cubs picked up the $10.5 million team option for Quintana for the 2020 season.

Oct. 28, 2020: Jose became a free agent.

Jan. 20, 2021: The Angels signed veteran left-hander Jose Quintana to a one-year, $8 million deal.

Aug 30, 2021: The Giants claimed Jose off waivers from the Angels.

Oct. 20, 2021: Quintana chose free agency.

Nov. 22, 2021: The Pirates signed Quintana to a one-year deal in the $2 million range.

Aug 1, 2022: The Cards obtained LHP Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton from the Pirates. The Pirates received a pair of Cuban natives in 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo and 21-year-old third base/first base prospect Malcolm Nuñez.

Nov. 6, 2022: Jose became a free agent.

In 2015, Quintana set a single-season personal high with 206 innings. And for a third straight year, Quintana reached 200-plus innings, 30-plus starts (32), and 160-plus strikeouts (177).

Javier Vazquez was the last White Sox pitcher to accomplish such a feat from 2006-2008.

Quintana joins Madison Bumgarner, Felix Hernandez, Jeff Samardzija, Max Scherzer and James Shields as the only Major League pitchers to hit those totals in every season since 2013. (Editor's note: He did it again in 2016.)

Jose has a smooth delivery that allows him to hit all quadrants of the strike zone and stay healthy.

"There is nothing that I don't like about Jose Quintana," White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said. "He's the model of consistency, but he's the model of hard work. He's the model of preparation. When people say somebody is coachable, he's that guy.  I can remember the first day we had him and everything that's gone on with him since then and how he doesn't forget anything, how he adds it in. He is going to get every ounce out of his ability. He has not taken a day off since we've gotten him here."  (Merkin - mlb.com - 9/28/2015)

Quintana is a lefthander with an 89-95 mph four-seam FASTBALL, good feel for a 76-78 mph CURVEBALL, and an improved 85-87 mph CHANGEUP. He also has a 90-93 mph CUTTER that he rarely uses. That gives him a full starter's repertoire.

Quintana was outstanding in 2014, 2015, and 2016—and still nobody knew about him. Jose had a higher fWAR rating than Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Felix Hernandez and just about everyone else. (June, 2016)

September 24, 2017: Carlos threw a three-hit shutout, the second shutout of his career, and helped the Cubs in a 5-0 victory over the Brewers. The lefty struck out 10 and has reached 200 Ks in a single season for the first time in his career.

He has some deception in his delivery and gets a lot of swings and misses.

Jose pounds hitters with a precise and accurate fastball the first time through the order. He then ups his changeup and curveball use the second and third times he sees hitters. He doesn't overpower hitters, but you know what you're going to get out of him in any given outing.

When he has his good stuff working, he can dominate a lineup. But even when he scuffles, he still eats up innings and gives his team a chance to win.

Whether Quintana he's having a dominating outing, or simply trying to grind out a quality effort on a day when his stuff is not sharp, Jose's demeanor never changes. He has a calm demeanor. Even if he gets a bad call from the home plate umpire, he doesn't get all bummed out about it. (Phil Barnes - Vine Line - Sept 2017)

2016 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 41.1% of the time; Sinker 25.2% of the time; Change 8.3%; Curve 24.8%; and Cutter .5% of the time.

2017 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 35.6% of the time; Sinker 27% of the time; Change 9.6%; Curve 28%.

2018 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 50.2% of the time, his Sinker 18%; Change 6.9%; and Curve 24.9% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 92.1 mph, Sinker 92.1, Changeup 86.9, and Curve 76.7 mph.

2019 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 36.4% of the time, his Sinker 25.5%; Change 11.1%; and Curve 27% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 91.7 mph, Sinker 91.7, Changeup 86.9, and Curve 77.2 mph.

2020 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 36.1% of the time, his Sinker 24%; Change 8.7%; and Curve 31.2% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 91.5 mph, Sinker 91.6, Changeup 86.5, and Curve 77.4 mph.

August 14, 2019: Quintana became just the second pitcher in Cubs history to strike out 14 batters while pitching six innings or fewer, joining Kerry Wood, who did so on April 27, 2001, against the Giants. Quintana's 14 strikeouts also tied Jon Lester (July 29, 2015) for the most by a Cubs lefthander in any game over the last century.

2020 Season: 2020 was cut short not only by COVID-19’s impact on the entire league, but by a literal cut Jose suffered while doing dishes.

Quintana posted a 4.50 ERA after a laceration to his left thumb and a lat injury later in the season limited him to just 10 innings over four appearances (one start).

Durability had been one of Quintana’s best assets, as he surpassed 30 starts and tossed at least 171 innings each season from 2013-2019. 

2021 Season: Last offseason, Quintana reunited with former Cubs manager Joe Maddon in Southern California, inking a one-year deal with the Angels. But things did not go well for the lefty. He made 10 starts and 14 relief appearances, struggling to the tune of a 6.75 ERA and 1.781 WHIP, although his 4.31 FIP suggested he might have deserved better.

After the Angels placed him on waivers in August, the Giants picked him up and he made five relief appearances down the stretch for the NL West champions. He did not pitch in the postseason for Gabe Kapler’s club – and now looks to begin a new chapter in Pittsburgh.  (Jake Misener - Nov. 22, 2021)

Nov 29, 2021: “José brings a veteran presence and, as a left-hander, some balance to our starting rotation,” said GM Ben Cherington in a statement. “Only one year removed from an impressive run of durability and success, José demonstrated a clear desire and commitment to improve while pitching in winter ball earlier this month. He is a strong competitor on the mound who also brings with him a terrific reputation as a teammate.”

Quintana, 32, is no stranger to the NL Central, having pitched four seasons with the Cubs between 2017-2020. However, the Colombian hurler is coming off his shakiest season in the Majors. He recorded a 6.75 ERA in 24 appearances (10 starts) with the Angels before being designated for assignment. And then he was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Aug. 30, ending the year with 63 innings. (J Crouse - MLB.com - Nov 29, 2021)

During the 2022 season, Cardinals GM Michael Girsch said of Jose: "He's not throwing fastballs chest high o beat you or back-spinning the heck out of the ball. He's keeping you off-balance. He uses the pitch that is most effective against the handedness (of the hitter). "(Quintana) takes what are probably not elite tools to the mound but has elite pitchability. He's a quick worker who repeats his delivery and can put the ball where he wants."

He was washing dishes at home in Miami and cut his left thumb. The cut required five stitches. In Chicago, Quintana underwent microscopic surgery to discover the extent of the damage, and the surgery revealed a lacerated digital sensory nerve in Jose's left thumb.

The damaged nerve was repaired during surgery, and according to the team.

Aug 31-Sept 21, 2020: The Cubs placed Quintana on the 10-day injured list with left lat inflammation.

May 31-June 21, 2021: Jose was on the IL with left shoulder inflammation.