Phillies Hellickson to Miami Marlins Rumors Heating Up
Trade rumors regarding Jeremy Hellickson are starting to heat up
The Phillies have reportedly been sending their scouts to the Miami Marlins Gulf Coast League (GCL) affiliate as the trade deadline looms.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says a possible trade involving starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson could be the connection between the two National League East teams.
Hellickson is publicly scheduled to start against those same Marlins on Monday in Miami. Should the Phillies scratch him from his start, Brett Oberholtzer would most likely take the mound.
Sources: #Phillies scouting #Marlins’ Gulf Coast league affiliate in preparation for a possible Hellickson trade.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 25, 2016
Miami has been looking for starting pitching, especially with Wei-Yin Chen heading to the disabled list and possibly needing Tommy John surgery. Their rotation is led by ace Jose Fernandez, but is lacking veteran depth.
Former Phillies pitching prospect Jarred Cosart, who was sent to Houston in the Hunter Pence trade, will be replacing Chen in the rotation.
The Marlins farm system is littered with pitching, which could be the Phillies target as they scout the Gulf Coast League. The GCL typically consists of players between 18-22, so any prospect you receive from the Marlins out of that team will be fairly raw.
None of the Marlins top 30 prospects reside in the GCL, which is typical for any organization. The majority of their top prospects reside in some form of Single-A ball.
Phillies General Manager Matt Klentak won’t be getting a treasure trove of top prospects for Hellickson, who is in the final year of his contract. Expect the Phillies to acquire a mid-tier prospect from either Single or Double-A in addition to a possible GCL player.
Should Hellickson be traded, he will join his fourth team since November of 2014.