Thanks for the run-down - yeah, it makes more sense not to do a total scorched earth operation, especially with neither of the key pieces in the Red Sox deal being too far away.
Heyman just tweeted that the Nationals may be inquiring about Quintana, so it definitely seems like they are eager to make some kind of move. Maybe the Rays would want to seize an opportunity and jump on Robles + Giolito for Archer, but their ask has been a bit higher.
The speculation I've seen recently that I think might be most accurate is that the Nationals were thinking about a Robles + Lopez deal for Cutch, with us wanting one more. I think that's very good groundwork for a deal, even if those are both prospects. In getting carried away with the attention and speculation, we can't lose sight of Cutch's legitimate question marks. I don't know if it's quite enough, and so a lot hinges on who the third player would be. I'd be thrilled if adding Watson to the mix could somehow push Ross into that deal; keep Robles for down the road and add Ross to the rotation immediately, with Glasnow and Lopez quickly behind. We could still probably use some veteran depth in the mix somewhere (and a lefty), but I'd rather concentrate Watson into the deal and get three very high quality assets than sit on Watson and get two very high quality assets and two good assets.
It's entirely possible that Ross is fairly off the table, though. I don't know as much about Cole, but I definitely prefer Ross to him (as does the spirit of S-Rod...).
