Philadelphia Phillies Listening to Trade Offers for Jeremy Hellickson
Well, it didn't take long for things to go south for the Philadelphia Phillies. It's only been over a month since the start of the season, but they are already in a hole that may be too deep to climb out of.
The Phillies are currently at the bottom of the National League along with the Miami Marlins. Since they will have a difficult time climbing back up the standings, observers have speculated that they will probably be sellers before the July 31 trade deadline and one of their veteran players is rumored to be on the trading block already.
According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Phillies have made it known that they were willing to listen to trade offers for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. Apparently, the club re-signed him because they want to use him as trade bait to acquire more prospects.
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That makes sense. Hellickson appears to be out of place in a team that's in a middle of a rebuild. He's better of elsewhere and the Phillies would love to get some prospects back if they trade him.
"While there could be a glut of available starters on the open market during trade season, Hellickson could be an attractive rental because of consistency. Plus, it's hard to imagine for the Phillies demanding game-changing prospects back in return for a good, not great arm," Joseph Giglio of NJ Advance Media said in his report.
Hellickson has actually struggled and his trade value may not be that high, but observers believe that his lackluster performance lately will not matter since a number of contenders are looking for pitchers.
"Though it's unclear which teams are looking at Hellickson as a trade option this early, he will surely draw interest from contenders considering the string of significant starting pitching injuries seen throughout baseball in the season's first 45 days," MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo said.
