Philadelphia Phillies: Trade Deadline Reaction

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline past us, we will take a look at if not making any move was the right move for the Philadelphia Phillies. 

After a furious day of trading yesterday, none of the Philadelphia Phillies had to clean out their lockers. There were many reports of interest on mainly two pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Vince Velasquez, yet no trade was struck for either pitcher. The Phils certainly had other bargaining chips to dangle in front of other teams, just no one seemed to take the bait.

Hellickson, who is regarded as a number 5 on a contending rotation, was receiving interest from the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and the Toronto Blue Jays, as reported from Jayson Stark. It was reported from the Philadelphia Phillies camp that their price for Jeremy Hellickson was a top 5 prospect, which was rather high but hey, get what you can get.

Velasquez, on the other hand, received heavy interest from the Texas Rangers. There were multiple names being thrown in for the budding right-handed pitcher, those headlining the phantom deal were Nomar Mazara, Jurickson Profar, and Joey Gallo. Now, all three of them were not in one deal, they were just the names being floated around.

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That Balls Outta Here

At the end of the day no deal was done with the Philadelphia Phillies which could be looked at as bad or good for them. In a way this was not a bad move for the Philadelphia Phillies in that they did not make a move just to make one. When a team does that it usually leaves the team who wanted to make a deal on the short end of the stick. Another thing to take into account, especially comparing to last year’s trade deadline, is that this team is monumentally different from last year’s.

The reasoning behind that statement is that last year you had players that other teams wanted, that were also high caliber players. This year you have some very, very mediocre players that were not first on teams’ lists to acquire. Cole Hamels is much prettier than Jeremy Hellickson, and a reminder that Hamels’ last start before being traded was a no-hitter.

Another thing to take into account is the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. After last year’s trades of Cole Hamels and Ken Giles, the Phillies farm system grew substantially in terms of talent. So the Philadelphia Phillies are not as hungry as they were last year for top 5 prospects. They also had the ability to get those prospects, but they did not need to rejuvenate the farm like they needed to last year.

Also there was no real reason to trade Hellickson or Velasquez, unless the offer given to the Phillies was one they simply could not refuse which we know now they did not get. Hellickson gives some much needed veteran experience and leadership to a rotation that is rather young. He also is an innings eater and a pitcher that can give you quality starts.

Keeping him around is not a bad idea, even for next year. He isn’t blocking anyone from the minors either, Jake Thompson is almost guaranteed a September call-up due to the fact that the Phillies want to go to a 6 man rotation to limit the young guns’ inning count. It honestly wouldn’t bother me if Hellickson stayed around another year because of what he brings to the table. Trust me, it is much more enjoyable to watch him pitch than Jerome Williams of last year pitch.

I just don’t understand the idea of moving Vince Velasquez. Velasquez has pitched outstanding before and after his injury. If anything, his injury taught him not to rely on his fastball as much which is a very good thing. Do we not remember that he struck 16 batters in one game and he is a rookie? He has the stuff to become a very dominant pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies for years to come. The idea of trading such a budding star that is starting to prove himself at the Major League level, for prospects that haven’t made any type of impact at the Show astounds me. It just sets back your rebuild because you have to spend time to develop those prospects in the minors before they get to the Majors.

Next: Should the Phillies Keep Jeremy Hellickson

In my opinion, as you can probably tell, the Philadelphia Phillies are perfectly fine after not trading anyone at the deadline. Standing pat does not harm them this year, you didn’t need to give up to acquire that was last year. You have offense in the minors, the kids aren’t far away. The team as a whole is not that far away from contending, you just need something we have learned from Ron Hextall “patience”.