Phillies Trade Howie Kendrick to Nationals

Shortly after the conslucion of Friday’s 10-3 win over the Braves, things immediately got hot on the Phillies trade front, with Ken Rosenthal proclaiming - within a minute of one another! - separate rumors involving Howie Kendrick and Jeremy Hellickson.

Not long after, we got confirmation that one deal was consummated: Kendrick was, indeed, being shipped to the Nationals (along with some cash). In return, the Phils receive lefty McKenzie “Forman” Mills and international slot money.

Kendrick, though hurt frequently, was excellent this season. He finishes his Phillies tenure with a .340/.397/.454 line.

Mills, 21, has made 18 starts for Hagerstown (A-ball) this year, with a 3.10 ERA and a 5.36 K/BB. He entered 2017 as the Nats’ #18 prospect, according to MLB.com.

The Phillies acquired Kendrick in November 2016 for Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney, neither of whom are doing anything in the Majors right now (literally), and turned him into an intriguing lefty after just 150 or so plate appearances.

This paves the way for Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera and Nick Williams to see the lion’s share of outfield time, with Cameron Perkins serving as OF4, for now. As of this writing, Jeremy Hellickson had still not been traded, though rumors of Oriole interest were hot. More to come there? We may not be done tonight.