Jeremy Hellickson to Phillies: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed prospect Sam McWilliams, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

The Phillies finished with MLB’s worst record in large part due to pitching. Their starters posted a combined 5.23 ERA and allowed batters a .290 average in 2015—both second-worst in the majors. 

They’re in the midst of a massive overhaul with starters. They traded ace Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers before the non-waiver deadline and declined the 2016 option on Cliff Lee at season’s end. 

Hellickson, however, isn’t exactly a highly sought-after commodity like he was earlier in his career when he was the Rookie of the Year. 

He was baggage to the Diamondbacks, who traded for him last winter, and the six-year veteran mustered just nine wins in 27 starts with a 4.62 ERA and 1.329 WHIP. 

Hellickson is in the final year of arbitration eligibility after collecting $4.275 million in 2014, per Spotrac. 

The Phillies compete in a National League East that features two of the baseball’s best rotations—the New York Mets and Washington Nationals—meaning they’ll need a lot more than damaged goods from the sub-.500 Diamondbacks if they seek a path out of the league cellar.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Phillies Clinch No. 1 Pick in 2016 MLB Draft: Latest Details and Reaction

The Philadelphia Phillies are officially the worst team in baseball following Saturday’s pair of losses to the Miami Marlins. With another defeat in Sunday’s season finale, Philadelphia would post its first 100-loss season since 1969. Heck, it lost to a Division II team in spring training.

With the undesirable distinction, the Phillies are assured the top pick in June’s first-year player draft for the first time since 1998.

CSN Philadelphia’s John Clark sprinkled some satire to showcase the news:

As Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out, the Phillies will likely look for a standout ace to bolster a mediocre rotation:

Phillies starters have the third-fewest quality starts (65) and innings per start (5.3) in the majors, and as Kaplan pointed out, there are plenty of pitchers the team may be eyeing, such as high school prospects Riley Pint and Jason Groome, Florida’s A.J. Puk and Oklahoma’s Alec Hansen.

The Phillies, who won five straight National League East titles from 2007 to 2011, are in the midst of a massive rebuilding process yet hold MLB’s 10th-highest payroll. The abysmal 2015 season has seen the firing of general manager Ruben Amaro and resignation of manager Ryne Sandberg. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com