Philadelphia Phillies: Jeremy Hellickson Accepts Qualifying Offer

The already thin 2016-2017 free agent pitching market took another hit on Monday afternoon as starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson accepted the Philadelphia Phillies’ qualifying offer of $17.2 million.

On Monday afternoon, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported that pitcher Jeremy Hellickson decided to take the Philadelphia Phillies‘ $17.2 million qualifying offer rather than test free agency. This development deals another blow to a weak free agent class for starting pitchers.

Hellickson, 29, pitched to a 12-10 record in 2016 for the rebuilding Phillies while posting a 3.71 ERA over the course of 189 innings. The right-hander boasts a career record of 61-58 with a 3.90 ERA over seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies. The one-time American League Rookie of the Year Award winner will bolster a Phillies rotation in 2017 featuring youngsters Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and veteran Matt Harrison.

Some believe that the Phillies could be in contention in the National League East if the Mets can’t get their outfield situation figured out this winter. The Phillies were 71-91 in 2016, so I find it hard to buy into the idea that they will be able to keep pace with the Nationals or even the Mets with a roster similar to the talent level it displayed in 2016.

The Phillies must feel that they can compete, because if they don’t see themselves doing so in 2017, signing Hellickson for $17.2 million was a frivolous move. The Phillies are building an impressive core of youthful talent, much like division mate Atlanta, so spending such a large amount of money signals that they feel that Hellickson gives their core a chance to compete in the National League East in 2017.

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It’s believed that Hellickson took the offer from the Phillies due to concern that the attached qualifying offer would hinder his ability to secure a profitable deal on the open market with teams afraid to lose a draft choice in the process of signing him. Which should only go to further prove the point that the qualifying offer system is broken and needs to be abolished in the upcoming new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

With Hellickson locked up for the 2017 season, an already weak free agent class took a considerable blow this afternoon.

Not everyone around the league is disappointed by the Phillies locking up Hellickson, though, as teams like the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers who have starting pitchers that they are open to trading just saw their players’ value jump significantly with one of the best starting pitcher son the market off the board.

Ivan Nova may be the next best available starting pitcher, and he does not have a qualifying offer attached to him as he was dealt to the Pirates from the Yankees in the middle of the 2016 season. As recently as this morning there were rumblings that Nova was receiving interest from teams in the ballpark of three years and $36 million.

Nova will also be off of the board soon at this rate, leaving teams searching for starting pitching at the will of the White Sox and the Tigers and even the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay rays if they begin to listen to offers on their aces Sonny Gray and Chris Archer.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are all in the market for starting pitching this winter, and have the prospects available to swing a deal for the likes of a Chris Sale or a Justin Verlander. The Dodgers and the Tigers have already been speculated to be talking about making a deal for Verlander as recently as this weekend.

The Hellickson deal will only further push teams searching for starting pitching in the direction of finding a way to making a trade with one of the clubs holding the best available arms this winter.

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