Report: White Sox asked Astros for Musgrove, top prospects in Quintana deal

Teams looking to buy pitching at a bargain price this winter probably shouldn't bother asking the Chicago White Sox about Jose Quintana. The Houston Astros found this out the hard way.

The South Siders reportedly asked the Astros for a large haul in a deal for the Colombian southpaw, demanding young right-hander Joe Musgrove plus the team's top two prospects in right-hander Francis Martes and outfielder Kyle Tucker as the return, according to Peter Gammons of Gammons Daily.

That prospective return would fall in line with what the White Sox have aimed for - and ultimately acquired - as they begin their fire sale. Earlier this week, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn sent ace Chris Sale to Boston for a package that included arguably the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball in Yoan Moncada; he then traded outfielder Adam Eaton to Washington for three young pitchers, including Lucas Giolito, one of baseball's top pitching prospects.

While Quintana would give the Astros a formidable one-two rotation punch alongside former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel, the exorbitant cost for his services has already sent their GM, Jeff Luhnow, in another direction. In an interview earlier this week, Luhnow told Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle that he wasn't prepared to part with players who would help the team win in 2017.

Musgrove, who made his big-league debut last year and posted a 4.06 ERA in 11 appearances and 10 starts, is likely to play a big role for the Astros next season. There's also a possibility that Martes, who struck out 131 batters in Double-A last year, could reach the majors in 2017, as well.

In addition to Houston, the Atlanta Braves were also reported to be targeting Quintana, though they too were unhappy with the high price quoted by the White Sox.

Quintana, 27, has three years of team control remaining before free agency.