Phillies' Hellickson still seen as trade bait
ATLANTA - There was no need in Pete Mackanin's mind to consider a contingency plan for Saturday, just in case his scheduled starter was no longer his scheduled starter. The trade market gained momentum on Friday with a deal between the Marlins and Padres that sent two starting pitchers to Miami, which eliminated a possible suitor for Jeremy Hellickson.
ATLANTA - There was no need in Pete Mackanin's mind to consider a contingency plan for Saturday, just in case his scheduled starter was no longer his scheduled starter. The trade market gained momentum on Friday with a deal between the Marlins and Padres that sent two starting pitchers to Miami, which eliminated a possible suitor for Jeremy Hellickson.
It could hasten a trade involving Hellickson as other teams pursue backup options.
For now, he is still slated to pitch at Turner Field against the Braves. If something happens before that, Mackanin will improvise.
"To be very honest, I don't know anything," Mackanin said. "I think it's better off that way."
Why is that?
"I'd rather not know," he said. "I'm not in the decision-making process as far as who they're going to trade for. The scouts are scouting. The people in the front office make their decision based on what information they have on these other players. I would like to think if we were playing for a pennant down the stretch, I would get a little bit of input on what we need. It's not what I need right now to help win. It's, what is the best deal? So I don't want to know about it."
The best deal could be favorable for the Phillies. Various reports peg the team's demands as being quite high for Hellickson; the pitching market is not abundant.
In the end, the Phillies will likely fetch a few low-level arms for Hellickson, a return similar to the deals last summer for Ben Revere and Jonathan Papelbon.
Miami, a source said, had interest in Hellickson but never reached a match with the Phillies during their talks. Scouts from the Giants, Orioles, Rangers and Blue Jays have recently tailed the Phillies, and all four are teams who could use a mid-rotation boost like Hellickson. San Francisco, in particular could be a fit for both Hellickson and reliever Jeanmar Gomez.
The deadline is Monday at 4 p.m.
Extra bases
Aaron Nola's sinker averaged 88.3 mph during his start Thursday. It was his lowest fastball velocity of the season. The Phillies remain confident that Nola, who experienced a bit of a "dead arm" earlier this month and continues to tinker with his mechanics, can work through his issues by pitching every fifth day. They may adjust his workload between starts. . . . Hellickson is scheduled to oppose Atlanta's ace, Julio Teheran, who has a 2.71 ERA.
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