Philadelphia Phillies: Trade Sweepstakes Starting To Kick Off?
With the rumored talks between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers now being called ‘unlikely’ to become of substance, other teams will join the race for Vincent Velasquez and possibly Jeremy Hellickson.
The Philadelphia Phillies are seemingly in the sellers’ market this season, and have an attractive trade chip in 24-year old Vincent Velasquez. The team was in talks with the Texas Rangers involving the right-handed pitcher, but it has now been reported that any deal between the two are becoming “unlikely”.
Velasquez was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason from the Houston Astros in the trade that involved closer Ken Giles. Velasquez himself alone has validated the trade for the Philadelphia Phillies, a deal that seemed to be even for both sides. Velasquez is strikeout pitcher with a strong arm and has had his share of stellar performances, posting an 8-3 record with a 3.32 ERA and 108 strikeouts all while battling injury throughout the season.
It’s no secret why the Texas Rangers, who continuously are looking for pitching, would want to make a run for Velasquez. Velasquez is showing signs of stardom at a young age. As of now, the Philadelphia Phillies could view Velasquez as their most valued trade-able piece, which gives them huge trade leverage.
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The reason why talks with the Rangers fell through with Velasquez is unknown, but signs could be pointing towards the Philadelphia Phillies’ asking price. Players of that kind of ability at a team-friendly age is a premium, and the Phillies shouldn’t budge on a trade they have some questions about.
This is why other teams will struggle to seriously enter the market for Velasquez, but the Philadelphia Phillies would be wise to listen to every other offer they get. With the Rangers seemingly out for the moment, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least two or three teams start to pop up in trade rumors.
The question is, no matter how high the asking price is, what type of return could the Philadelphia Phillies be looking for? The team is in a rebuild that seems to be closer to a winning-state than not, but there is some necessary retooling to be done to get to that point. Velasquez seems to be the prototypical player to be the key piece in the latter parts of this rebuild at age 24, but at the same time could bring in a large return that can better the future.
The Philadelphia Phillies can look for MLB ready talent, in terms of proven talent and fringe prospects, or they can look for a long-term prospect package. If a deal involving Velasquez pans out, it could signal to the timeline of Matt Klentak’s rebuild plan. The team has one of the top farm systems in the MLB, so proven talent may be more in the vision of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Another name that has continuously been involved in trade talks is pitcher Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson is viewed as more available, and talks with the Rangers will continue to be in the works. The return for Hellickson won’t be anywhere near as big as Velasquez, but will essentially bring in “something for nothing”.
Hellickson joined the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason after a trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks, and was looked at as a solid rental to bolster the front of the rotation. The Phillies gave up Sam McWilliams, a mid-level prospect who became expendable after the team bolstered the farm system.
Hellickson was basically acquired for free, and could bring in a decent return as the his career timeline doesn’t exactly matchup to that of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team will field calls from potential playoff teams looking for a boost in pitching, and Hellickson is the perfect low-risk option for those teams.
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The Philadelphia Phillies will have phones ringing off the hook for their right-handed pitchers, but will be calculating the risk of each trade they make. Hellickson will be more easily available, but it’ll take a wow-ing trade to pry Velasquez from becoming a main facet in the Philadelphia Phillies rebuild.