The Phillies have started their off season.

In the first move of the Matt Klentak era, the Phillies have traded for Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson in exchange for right hander Sam McWilliams.

Hellickson, 28, went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts for the Diamondbacks last season.  He allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of those 27 starts. In six starts against National League East division teams, he posted a 3.38 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average.

The 2011 American League Rookie of the Year, Hellickson was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. He is 49-48 in his career with a 3.94 ERA in 142 games (135 starts) for the Rays (2010-14) and Diamondbacks (2015).

McWilliams, 20, was an eighth round selection by the Phillies in the 2014 draft. He spent the last two seasons with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies and went a combined 2-5 with a 4.19 ERA in 16 games (12 starts).

This is a savvy, creative move by Klentak in that Hellickson is projected to make about $6 million in his final year of arbitration. The 28-year old will be a free agent at the end of the 2016 season.

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