MLB Free Agency: Breaking Down the Qualifying Offer Decisions

SP Jeremy Hellickson (Philadelphia Phillies)

Did he receive a QO: YES

Should he have received a QO: YES

Much as been made out of the apparent lack of starting pitching on the free agent market this offseason. Outside of 36-year-old former journeyman Rich Hill, you don’t look at any guy available and say, “this is a pitcher who can lead my rotation”. However, what you do have is a bunch of mediocre starters that will be overpaid because the need for starting pitching is always so widespread across the league.

Hellickson could be the second best starting pitcher of the bunch available in free agency. The other options that are close to him are Jason Hammel, whom the Cubs decided to reject his $12 million option, and Ivan Nova, who benefited from a very good second half after having a rough go of things with the New York Yankees. This is the main reason why he should have received the offer.

The 29-year-old right hander had a very nice bounce-back season for the Philadelphia Phillies after he struggled with the Diamondbacks and Rays in the three seasons prior. What made Hellickson much more effective this go around was was that he was able to limit his walks while maintaining a solid strikeout rate of 7.3/9 IP. Overall, he finished with an ERA of 3.71 and always seemed to give the Phillies a quality start when he was on the mound. He doesn’t wow you with explosive stuff and really doesn’t have the ability to consistently put up spectacular outings. But he is a quality innings eater who slots in nicely in the middle of any rotation.

Usually, I am not for giving mediocre pitchers this much money, but this offseason changes my mindset a bit. Being that there are so few solid starting pitchers available, Hellickson and his agent are probably under the assumption that he will do better than this one-year deal on the open market (which he probably will). With this being the case, the Phillies will be able to get a high draft pick for a guy that they acquired last offseason as a flier. That would be a big win for the new Phillies management as they look to continue building the core of young talent.

Will he accept the QO: NO