Hellickson returning to Nats on major league deal

Given how effective he was for them last season - when healthy and when used strategically - Jeremy Hellickson always loomed as an enticing pitching option for the Nationals to bring back in 2019.

Sure enough, the two sides have worked out a deal to reunite. And more than a month earlier than they worked out last year's deal.

Hellickson has agreed to terms on a one-year, major league contract that guarantees him $1.3 million, with an additional $4 million possible via incentives, according to a source familiar with the terms. The deal is pending a physical, and the Nationals also need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster before they can officially add the right-hander.

A mid-March addition last spring - on a non-guaranteed, minor league deal - Hellickson proved to be a savvy pickup for the Nationals. He made his season debut on April 16 and wound up going 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 1.073 WHIP in 19 starts as the club's primary No. 5 starter.

It wasn't exactly a conventional season for Hellickson. Manager Davey Martinez and pitching coach Derek Lilliquist purposely limited his workload, often pulling him before he could face a lineup for the third time in a start, even if his pitch counts were in the 60s or 70s. Opponents' OPS versus Hellickson during his career rise from .668 in their first at-bat to .724 in their second at-bat to .847 in their third at-bat.

The veteran right-hander also made two trips to the disabled list, each time for a fluke injury that occurred when he was running to cover a base. Two batters into his June 3 start at Atlanta, Hellickson strained his right hamstring while trying to cover first base on a grounder to the right side. In the fifth inning of his Aug. 15 outing in St. Louis, he sprained his right wrist falling onto the plate while trying to make a play. He returned one month later to make one more start but reinjured the wrist while batting.

Hellickson's return gives the Nationals an experienced No. 5 starter and allows them to retain Joe Ross and Erick Fedde as backup options should anyone else from the rotation go down. As things stood, Ross and Fedde would have competed with each other for that job this spring. Now, there could be a spot for one as a long reliever, with the other likely ticketed for the Triple-A rotation.