Jeremy Hellickson Reportedly Agrees to Minor League Contract with Nationals

Veteran starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals on Friday.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the deal was agreed upon.

After turning in a strong 2016 season with the Philadelphia Phillies, Hellickson struggled in 2017 as a member of the Phillies and the Baltimore Orioles.

The 30-year-old went 8-11 with a career-worst 5.43 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and a career-low strikeout rate of 5.3 per nine innings.

In 20 starts for Philadelphia, Hellickson was 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA. He was traded to the O's prior to the non-waiver deadline, but the change of scenery didn't serve him well as he went 2-6 with a 6.97 ERA in 10 starts for Baltimore.

Hellickson signed a one-year deal worth over $17 million with the Phillies last offseason on the heels of a resurgent 2016 campaign.

He went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings after three consecutive poor seasons between the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The best performances of Hellickson's career came in his first three seasons from 2010 through 2012.

Hellickson qualified as a rookie for the Rays in 2011, and he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award by going 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA.

He followed that up with a 10-11 mark and 3.10 ERA in 2012, complete with a Gold Glove Award at the pitcher spot.

Hellickson's play began to fall off in 2013, and he has now posted an ERA of 4.52 or higher in four of the past five seasons.

To his credit, however, Hellickson has made at least 27 starts in six of the past seven seasons.

That type of durability and the ability to eat innings make him a somewhat valuable commodity, especially as a possible No. 4 or No. 5 starter. With Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark, Washington can go toe-to-toe with just about any team in the league in a best-of-seven series. Adding a veteran like Hellickson gives the team an experienced option for the fifth starter's spot.

Signing Hellickson isn't a make-or-break move for the Nationals, but he could provide solid value for the club in 2018.