CNBNews

They’ve been taking calls for the last month now about guys that teams want. Jeremy Hellickson’s name has been thrown out there by multiple teams and has pitched extremely well in his last two starts.

One team in particular is NL East rival, Miami Marlins. The Phillies have scouted players in the Marlins farm system to see what they can get out of Hellickson.

The Boston Red Sox were on Hellickson for a short time, maybe they still want him. Hellickson could help any team who needs a 3 or 4 guy in their rotation to make a run for the playoffs.

Relievers Jeanmar Gomez and Hector Neris have had outstanding seasons so far and the Detroit Tigers have had their eyes on those two. Both or even one could bolster the bullpen for the Tigers.

With those two being so young, I can’t see them being moved unless the Tigers gave the Phillies a good deal.

Peter Bourjos hasn’t had the best season offensively, but teams could use his speed and defensive skills at the deadline. With the Phillies having Aaron Altherr coming back soon and Nick Williams ready to move up through the ranks, it seems likely they get rid of an outfielder at the deadline.

Carlos Ruiz has had his name thrown around, and could go to a contending team in need of depth at the position. The Cleveland Indians just lost their starting catcher so expect them to seek Ruiz.

The Dodgers, Pirates, Mets and Blue Jays all have had poor production from their catchers and need depth. The return for Ruiz wouldn’t be much.

Ryan Howard has also gotten feelers, but any GM who trades for him should be fired on the spot. If he were to be moved he would likely stay on the bench for a team.

Howard and Ruiz are the only two left from the 2008 World Series team and both have ‘no-trade clauses’ for being in the league for 10 years and being with the Phillies for all of them.

I’d expect those two to waive their clauses for a chance to play in the postseason again.

The Texas Rangers even expressed interest in Vinny Velasquez, but I see a -34% chance the Phillies trade him.

Whoever the Phillies trade, we can expect pitching to be most of the return for these guys. Their infield is set for the future once J.P. Crawford comes up and the outfield isn’t too bad right now.

The bullpen needs a lot of help, and Zach Eflin and Velasquez have shown dominance as starters. Jerad Eickhoff and Aaron Nola need to polish up a bit to be a dominant staff.

We can expect Hellickson to be gone. As for the other guys, teams are looking at them as backup possibilities, meaning if the guys they want aren’t there anymore then they’ll take them.