The Tampa Bay Rays are going to change a lot of things now that their all-powerful manager is gone, and one of these moves will be trading starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, with NL teams like the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks showing some interest in him.
Hellickson didn’t have a very good 2014, missing half of the season with an elbow injury. He started in 13 games, posting a 1-5 record with a 4.52 ERA, which is slightly better than his 2013 performance but not by much. However, he is the 2011 rookie of the year, a Golden Glove winner in 2012 and someone who is still young (27), has great bounce back potential and won’t come at an expensive price, up for arbitration after making just over $3.6 million last season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to add a starter to their rotation, and would be very interested in someone who can be a number four or number five guy, but won’t cost them too much money. The same goes for the Braves, who are probably going to lose Aaron Harang in free agency.
Hellickson has been in major league baseball since 2010. In 115 games, 108 of them starts, he has a 40-36 record and a 3.78 ERA, posting a 1.261 WHIP and has averaged 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings for his career.