By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor
After Philadelphia Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson threw a season-high eight innings in a Wednesday night win over the Miami Marlins, it seemed logical that the Phillies would attempt to move Hellickson before his next start. That said, Hellickson is is two days away from again facing one of his reported top suitors again — this time in Miami, and a trade doesn't seem imminent.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe does note, however, that the two sides have discussed Hellickson, with one major league pitcher being discussed as part of a potential return:
The Marlins seem to be most interested in dealing for him, but do they have enough to satisfy the Phillies? There had been talk of lefthander Mike Dunn possibly being part of the deal.
It should be pointed out that simply because Dunn's name has been brought up does not mean that he will be part of a Hellickson deal, should one be completed between the two teams.
Dunn, 31, has pitched in 18 games in 2016, and has an impressive 3.24 ERA, though some advanced stats aren't as impressive. Dunn has posted ERAs of 3.16, 2.66 and 1.89 in his career, which would make him a good fit for any team.
Dunn could become a free-agent after the 2016 season, meaning that if the Phillies acquired him, they seemingly would be interested in re-signing him. That would make sense since they haven't been able to develop a late-inning lefty of their own in 2016, and designated Daniel Stumpf for assignment Friday.
Considering that the Marlins are a contending team, a veteran left-handed arm like Dunn wouldn't seem to be someone that the Marlins would be eager to get rid of, especially considering they could run into options like Anthony Rizzo and Bryce Harper if they made a run in the playoffs. They have acquired Fernando Rodney to strengthen bullpen depth though, so perhaps they feel like giving up their lefty specialist would be a hit worth taking to increase their starting pitching depth.
If the Phillies and Marlins were to complete a trade involving Hellickson and Dunn, the Phillies would almost certainly be getting back a lower level minor leaguer as well.
Cafardo also noted that the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are among other suitors for the 29-year-old Hellickson.
The MLB's non-waiver trade deadline is August 1.