The Phillies were active on the trade front Friday night, sending infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick to the Nationals, and right-hander Jeremy Hellickson to the Orioles. With Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline looming, the Marlins and Mets also completed a deal that sent Miami closer AJ Ramos to New York.
Kendrick, 34, hit .340/.397/.454 in 39 games for Philadelphia this season, limited by abdominal and hamstring injuries. He provides a solid bat off the bench for Washington, a club that has seen its outfield depth decimated by injuries to Trea Turner, Jayson Werth, Chris Heisey and Ryan Raburn, who are all on the disabled list.
In exchange for Kendrick, the Phillies acquired left-handed-pitching prospect McKenzie Mills, now ranked No. 24 in Philadelphia's organization, according to MLBPipeline.com.
With the acquisition of Hellickson, the Orioles bolstered a beleaguered starting rotation that entered Friday with an American League-worst 5.90 ERA. Hellickson has a 4.73 ERA in 20 starts this season, but has extensive history pitching in the AL East: the 30-year-old posted a 3.78 ERA in in five seasons with the Rays from 2010-14.

Baltimore sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and international amateur signing bonus pool space to the Phillies in the deal.
Another club considered a seller, the Mets, upgraded its bullpen by acquiring Ramos from the Marlins. Signaling an intent to compete for the postseason in 2018, New York sent Merandy Gonzalez and Ricardo Cespedes -- previously the organization's No. 9 and No. 22 prospects, respectively -- to Miami.

The Mets are shopping current closer Addison Reed as the Trade Deadline approaches, and Ramos is under team control next season. Ramos posted a 3.63 ERA with 20 saves for the Marlins, and has a 2.78 ERA over his six-year career.