Phillies: Most impactful trade made with every team

Baltimore Orioles: Garrett Cleavinger

"On July 28, 2017, the Philadelphia Phillies traded Jeremy Hellickson to the Baltimore Orioles for Garrett Cleavinger, Hyun Soo Kim and international bonus slot money."

While the Phillies and Orioles have made 36 trades in their respective histories, very few are considered “impactful.”

With this trade, we’re looking a bit into the future with the promise of a young arm who could be a middle reliever for the Phillies as soon as this season.

Jeremy Hellickson originally came up with the Rays and emerged as one of baseball’s best young pitchers. In 2011 he won the Rookie of the Year with 13 wins and a 2.95 ERA, setting himself up for long-term success.

After a mixed bag of seasons in Tampa he was traded to Arizona and subsequently dealt a couple of years later to Philadelphia to fill out the rotation.

Hellickson did his job for the Phillies, winning 12 games in 2016 and had two very good opening day starts. Playing for some bad Phillies teams, Hellickson became quality trade bait for a team seeking a middle of the rotation arm with some upside at a reasonable price.

The Phillies found their trade partner in the Orioles days before the 2017 deadline, sending Hellickson to at team fighting for a playoff spot. In return the Phillies got a depth outfielder in Hyun Soo Kim, international bonus pool money, and prospect Garrett Cleavinger.

Kim didn’t do much for the Phillies, hitting just .230 in 40 games after the trade. He returned to Korea to play in the KBO where he hit .362 with 20 home runs in 2018.

Cleavinger is the only physical return from the trade still in the organization. After a bumpy run in the minors he solidified himself last year as a reliever with a 3.66 ERA in 34 games. Now on the Phillies 40-man roster, the 25-year-old Cleavinger could reach the big leagues as early as 2020.