It wasn’t exactly Eloy Jiménez for José Quintana.
But the Cubs and White Sox general manager Rick Hahn continued their trade-pal relationship with a deal Thursday that sent setup man Ryan Tepera to the Sox for minor-league left-hander Bailey Horn.
The trade matchup was not a surprised. The Sox have been scouting Tepera throughout the weeklong homestand that concluded Thursday — the day before the trade deadline.
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If anything, the first trade between the crosstown rivals since the 2017 Quintana deal was an appetizer for the main courses the Cubs are working on with barely 20 hours left.
After both of the Cubs’ top setup men have been moved the past four days, the clock is ticking fast on closer Craig Kimbrel, who is being pursued by suitors from coast-to-coast.
And championship-core stars Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo both were out of the lineup Thursday for the first time this season when both were healthy — with the Red Sox showing particular interest in Rizzo and the Giants and Mets among several teams pursuing Bryant.
Starting pitcher Zach Davies, who lost Wednesday night in what figures to be his final start as a Cub, likely will be traded after top-of-the-market starters such as Washington’s Max Scherzer are dealt.
MLB
Tepera, whose claim to fame since joining the Cubs before last season was getting an accidental MVP vote last year, had a 2.91 ERA for the Cubs this year.
He’s the third player traded since the Cubs fell out of contention with an 11-game losing streak from June 25 through July 6.
Outfielder Joc Pederson was traded to Atlanta on the eve of the Cubs’ second-half opener this month lefty-hitting first base prospect Bryce Ball, a Triple-A power hitter.
And Monday the Cubs traded lefty setup man Andrew Chafin to the A’s for Triple-A outfielder Greg Deichmann, another left-handed hitter, with an .885 OPS this year at Las Vegas, and low-A pitcher Daniel Palencia.
Horn, 23, is the 23rd-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline) in a middle-of-the-pack White Sox system.
He has struggled this year at low-A Kannapolis and advanced-A Winston-Salem going 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 14 games (10 starts) at the two stops combined.
Horn was the Sox' fifth-round draft pick last year.