Philadelphia Phillies: The Asking Price for Jeremy Hellickson
With few marquee pitching options available as the trade deadline nears, the Philadelphia Phillies find themselves with all the leverage in regards to their asking price for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson.
To think that the going rate for a pitcher whose career ERA sits at 3.90 and has shown significant signs of regression since his 2011 AL Rookie of the Year season with the Rays could be a top five prospect is the perfect illustration of the premium being placed on pitching in today’s game. For the Philadelphia Phillies, though, their asking price for Jeremy Hellickson, fair or not, is more along the lines of savvy business.
The 29-year-old Hellickson is enjoying his best season since that 2011 breakout campaign with the Rays. After a turbulent beginning of the season, Hellickson is in the midst of a commendable July in which he has an ERA of 1.97 and has held opponents to a .186 batting average. In light of Hellickson seemingly flashing signs of the same promise he did as a rookie, teams around the league have taken notice and begun inquiring about what it would take to potentially land the Phillies right-hander.
“Inquiring,” however, could possibly be as far as clubs get in their negotiations with the Phillies in terms of obtaining Hellickson. That of course stemming from a report by Jayson Stark in which the Phillies believe to be seeking “one of your top 5 prospects. Or they’ll keep him and take the draft pick.”
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While certainly capable of helping a contender make a postseason run, based on what he has been able to accomplish in his career thus far, and not just this month of July, the asking price for Hellickson is prohibitive. Especially for a guy who is on a one-year deal and slots in as a back-end rotational piece on one of those aforementioned contenders.
With aspirations of a long, memorable run to the World Series, teams like the Rangers, Astros and Dodgers all could be in the market to solidify their rotations with a player like Hellickson. All three have the resources readily available in their farm systems to fulfill the Phillies’ wish, but the question remains – will they?
The Phillies have done a wonderful job of hedging their bets. They trade Hellickson: they get a top-five prospect. They hold onto him and he goes elsewhere in the offseason: they receive a draft pick for him rejecting the qualifying offer. And lastly: they re-sign him and he becomes a key cog in a pitching staff that has shown all the potential in the world this year.
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The Phillies have accepted their fate for the 2016 season. They seem poised to hang back and let the chips fall where they may. Their message to the rest of the league? You want him, come get him.