Jeremy Hellickson Reportedly Traded from Phillies to Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles reportedly bolstered their starting rotation Friday, as they acquired pitcher Jeremy Hellickson from the Philadelphia Phillies.

FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reported the Orioles were getting Hellickson. Heyman added the Phillies will receive pitching prospect Garrett Cleavinger, first baseman Hyun Soo Kim and international bonus pool money.

The veteran righty joined the Phils in an offseason trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, and he enjoyed his best season since posting a 3.10 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012.

Hellickson went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 154 strikeouts for a Philadelphia team that has struggled as a whole.

He performed so well that the Phillies re-signed him to a one-year, $17.2 million contract, though this season has been a disappointment with a 4.73 ERA and career-low 5.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 20 starts. 

After a strong start to his career with the Rays, Hellickson struggled mightily from 2013 through 2015, going 22-27 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Hellickson seemed destined to become a perennial All-Star when he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2011 by posting a 13-10 record to go along with 2.95 ERA. He followed that up with a strong 2012 campaign but has struggled to recapture the magic ever since.

Although the 30-year-old may never again be a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher, he has shown a penchant for eating up innings and turning in quality outings over the past two seasons, which made him an ideal trade deadline target.

There is also no need to commit to him beyond the remainder of this season since he will be a free agent once the campaign concludes, so he was an attractive option as a pure rental.

Hellickson may not make or break the Orioles' playoff hopes. But pitching depth is a must at this juncture in the season, and he provides that at the least.

Baltimore's starting rotation has been dreadful in 2017. The group ranks 29th in Major League Baseball with a 5.90 ERA, and their 525 innings pitched entering Friday ranks as the fourth-fewest in MLB. 

Hellickson at least offers the Orioles a healthy starter who can take the ball every fifth day. He's not likely to increase his performance with such a low strikeout rate, but Baltimore manager Buck Showalter is trying to find bodies to help his team make it through the season.