Philadelphia Phillies: Affordable Rotation Options in Free Agency

Jeremy Hellickson

Hello, my old friend. Yes, I’m putting Jeremy Hellickson on this list because the Phillies need someone to eat innings in 2018 with only two rotation spots really guaranteed, Nola and Jerad Eickhoff, and there aren’t many pitchers in baseball who eat innings better than Jeremy Hellickson. Since his rookie season, Hellickson had logged enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, 162, in every season except for two. There aren’t that many pitchers in baseball who have been that durable.

The results for Hellickson have varied from year to year. Like in 2016 he looked like someone the Phillies would’ve been able to flip for a decent prospect at the deadline, and they almost did with Miami. But after keeping him post-deadline, Hellickson 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA. Instead of leaving in free agency Hellickson took the qualifying offer to remain in Philadelphia and put up a pretty disappointing year before being shipped to Baltimore for a low-end prospect.

In Baltimore Hellickson was abysmal. He finished the post-trade deadline 2-6 with an ERA of almost 7. With the rough end to his season Hellickson, he should see a decent pay cut from the 17 million he made in 2017. Bringing Hellickson back might also help Nola and the other young arms for the Phillies by bringing back a familiar face.