Jeremy Hellickson Traded To Arizona Diamondbacks

Jeremy Hellickson is now a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, as the Tampa Bay Rays traded the former MLB Rookie of the Year right-hander for two minor-league players.

While the departures of GM Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon might signal that the Tampa Bay Rays are officially in transition, Friday’s trade of Jeremy Hellickson to the Arizona Diamondbacks was business as usual for the Rays, who picked up minor-leaguers Justin Williams and Andrew Velazquez for the 27-year old right-hander.

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Hellickson was scheduled to make approximately $4 million in arbitration, and many teams wouldn’t think twice about paying that to a pitcher such as Hellickson, who struggled in both 2013 and 2014 but won the American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2011 and is still on the right side of age 30. But the Rays are certainly cost-conscious, and have pitchers similar to Hellickson on the 40-man roster, meaning it was inevitable that Hellickson was going to be traded. He can certainly still be a useful pitcher to the Diamondbacks, but he’s probably not the number two-or-three starter Dbacks GM Dave Stewart thinks he is, a lot will depend on Hellickson’s elbow.

The two players the Rays received are both position players — Williams is an outfielder and Velazquez is a shortstop. Stewart said both players have the potential to be all-stars, but are three or four years away, and both played in low Class-A last season.4

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