Usually, when a big trade happens, somebody breaks the news before either team involved can announce it. Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman, a local beat writer -- somebody would've disseminated the news that Jose Quintana was being traded across town for a package of prospects headlined by Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease (all we got from White Sox Dave, who's broken White Sox news in the past, were some eye emojis).
And that nobody was able to get anything out about this story until both teams announced the trade is what's maybe the most surprising thing about Thursday's crosstown blockbuster. The news broke by the White Sox and Cubs both sending tweets and press releases.
How the White Sox and Cubs kept this quiet without it getting leaked and announced it at the same time is pretty impressive. #Quintana
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) July 13, 2017
Just look at the reactions of baseball's two biggest national news-breakers to the trade:
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 13, 2017
shocker. jose quintana goes cross-town. https://t.co/89v5man6vt
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 13, 2017
In today's digital age, it's rare -- maybe even unprecedented -- for a trade of this magnitude to fly under the radar until it's finalized and announced. But the White Sox and Cubs managed to do just that while pulling off a trade that could alter the landscape of baseball in this city for the next decade.
Correction: While no national media had this story, a Reddit user named "wetbutt23" had it last night. CSNChicago.com apologizes to wetbutt23 for the error.
This is wild. A Reddit user named "wetbutt23” had this Jose Quintana trade last night. #Cubs #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/TiJZGZjwCb
— Paul Roumeliotis (@PaulRoumel) July 13, 2017