Former Rookie of the Year winner Jeremy Hellickson’s time in Tampa Bay appears to be over, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Rays “are moving closer” to trading him to an unnamed National League team.
Sherman says a deal will probably happen this week.
Hellickson was a top prospect, won the Rookie of the Year in 2011 as a 24-year-old, and followed it up with an equally strong 2012 season. But it’s been all downhill from there.
He posted a 5.17 ERA in 31 starts two seasons ago and then underwent offseason elbow surgery, returning in July to go 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 13 starts this season. He’s still just 27 years old, but Hellickson has a 5.00 ERA in his last 238 innings and his career strikeout rate is 6.5 per nine innings.
