Phillies trade Kendrick/Hellickson: Who'd they get in return?

Two trades agreed upon within minutes of each other come to fruition Friday evening as the Phillies moved two veterans down I-95

Two separate trades rocked the Phillies clubhouse after a 10-3 victory over Atlanta, seeing both Howie Kendrick and Jeremy Hellickson be traded to the Beltway.

Kendrick will join the division rival Washington Nationals in a pennant race, while Hellickson joins the middling Baltimore Orioles.

Neither player was due to garner a major return at the trade deadline, but for a rebuilding team, any asset will do.

Despite landing on the disabled list twice and currently battling a bruised left hand Kendrick produced LHP McKenzie Mills & international amateur signing bonus pool space.

Philadelphia Phillies /

Philadelphia Phillies

Mills has pitched very well for the Nationals Single-A team winning 12 games with a 3.01 ERA in 18 outings. Most impressive are the Nationals former 18th overall prospect’s 118 strikeouts and 22 walks in 104.2 innings of work.

MLB.com now ranks the 21-year-old as the Phillies 24th overall prospect, ahead of Carlos Tocci and Ben Lively.

Here’s the scouting report from MLB.com on Mills, a projectable left-handed starter at the major league level.

"A tall and lanky left-hander, Mills features a deceptive delivery and quick arm that generates a lively fastball in the low 90s that he’s still learning to command. Scouts anticipate more velocity moving forward and they also like how he attacks hitters up in the zone. Mills’ above-average curveball is his go-to secondary offering, and the Nationals have been pleased with the development of his changeup, projecting as a third average-or-better pitch for the lefty.Mills’ success in 2017 is a product of his capacity to make adjustments, as his feel for repeating his delivery more consistently has led to improved fastball command and more effective use of his secondaries. He has the makings of a back-end starter on paper, though his ceiling might still be emerging."

Depending on how the Phillies rotation fills out with Hellickson gone and the ripple effects it’ll have on the minor leagues Mills could start for either Single-A Lakewood or Double-A Reading.

As for Hellickson, the Phillies received major league outfielder Hyun Soo Kim and minor league pitcher Garrett Cleavinger, a 23-year-old lefty in Double-A.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 9: Hyun Soo Kim /

Cleavinger’s numbers on paper aren’t as impressive as Mills with a 2-4 record and a 6.28 ERA in 27 relief appearances. With three saves and 42 strikeouts in 38.2 innings, Cleavinger could be a left-handed bullpen arm in Philadelphia down the road.

Twenty-nine-year-old Hyun Soo Kim joined the Orioles as an international free agent out of South Korea last year on a two-year deal. After an impressive rookie season hitting .302 and 92 hits in 95 games Kim has fallen off in 2017. Prior to the trade, he was hitting .232 with only five extra-base hits.

It’s likely Kim was acquired as salary relief for Baltimore, who took on the remaining value of Hellickson’s one-year qualifying offer. Ruben Amaro Jr. did the same thing by taking on Matt Harrison from Texas in the Cole Hamels trade.

Phillies trade Kendrick/Hellickson: Who’d they get in return?

By George Stockburger | Jul 28, 2017

Two trades agreed upon within minutes of each other come to fruition Friday evening as the Phillies moved two veterans down I-95

Philadelphia Phillies