Pitchers and Catchers Report to Clearwater in One Month (cc: @TheSnortingBull)

We're exactly one month away from the official start of spring training, and I thought I'd check in with the Phillies offseason moves so far.  Before we get to that, and thanks to the suggestion of fellow collector and blogger Snorting Bull, here's a Steve Geltz/Steve Jeltz combo card that had to happen.  Geltz is a Phillies non-roster invitee and a Durham Bulls alumni.

Back on December 18th, I completely missed the news that Hyun Soo Kim had signed a four-year $10.58 million contract with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization.  Kim came to the Phillies in late July in the Jeremy Hellickson deal with the Orioles.  Unless he appears in some early season Topps releases with the Phillies, his one and only Phillies baseball card can be found within the limited, late season, team-issued photo card update set.

2018 Chachi Departures #5

Hyun Soo Kim Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #50
2018 Chachi Departures #5

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, 12/18/17.
• Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
• Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/14/17.
• Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
• Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
• Freddy Galvis - ss (12/15/17) - Traded to the San Diego Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.

Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (12/22/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.

New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Engelb Vielma - inf (11/20/17) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Carlos Santana - 1b (12/20/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians.

Already Gone - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Engelb Vielma - inf (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2017 Topps Orioles #BAL-7 Hyun Soo Kim

Mets 11, Phillies 7
Game 137 - Monday Afternoon, September 4th in Flushing
Record - 52-85, 5th place

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets jumped all over Mark Leiter, Jr., and a late Phillies comeback wasn't enough in this 11-7 loss.

What It Means:  The battle for fourth place!  Catch the fever!

What Happened:  Leiter exited after 3 1/3 innings having allowed nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits.  Down at one point by a score of 10-0, the Phillies valiantly battled back, making the final score somewhat respectable.

Featured Card:  Hyun Soo Kim hasn't had many big moments since joining the Phillies in late July as part of the Jeremy Hellickson deal with the Orioles.  He had a two-run double in this game, raising his RBI total to three in 27 games with the Phils.  Kim's 2017 baseball cards aren't readily available, and I'll admit I bought a Topps Orioles team set this past weekend specifically to add this Kim card to my 2017 Phillies binder.

Transaction:  Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr were activated from the disabled list, brining the number of active players to 31.

Phillies Debut:

23. Kevin Siegrist (lhp) - Siegrist pitched just a 1/3 of an inning, in the Mets' six-run fourth, allowing an inherited runner to score.  He allowed a hit, two walks and a run of his own before being relieved by Jesen Therrien.

2017 Chachi #50 Hyun Soo Kim

#31
Hyun Soo Kim
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  210
Born:  January 12, 1988, Seoul, South Korea
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent formerly with the Doosan Bears (Korea), December 23, 2015.
Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 2016-2017; Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Acquired with Garrett Cleavinger and future considerations from the Baltimore Orioles for Jeremy Hellickson and cash, July 28, 2017

2016 Topps Update #US182

0 Kim Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2016 Topps Update #US182

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #50

Card statistics through 8/5/17.

Hellickson Traded to Orioles for Kim and Cleavinger

2016 Topps Now #468

After what seemed like dozens of "final starts with the Phillies" between last season and this season, Jeremy Hellickson was finally dealt.  A short while after announcing the Howie Kendrick deal with the Nationals, the Phillies confirmed late on Friday night they had traded Hellickson (and cash) to the Orioles for outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, left-handed pitcher Garrett Cleavinger and future international bonus money.

In 52 starts with the Phillies over the past two seasons, Hellickson went 18-15 with a 4.09 ERA and was most likely the team's most reliable starting pitcher during this basement dwelling era.  He was the Phillies opening day starter in 2016 and 2017.  By my tally, he's appeared on 13 different Phillies baseball cards, the most recent of which being his Topps Gypsy Queen card.  Perhaps his best start with the Phillies came on September 17th of last season when he pitched a complete game shutout against the Marlins and earned a Topps Now card for his performance.  Hellickson joins an Orioles team that's currently below .500 (48-54) and 6 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card standings.

2016 Topps Heritage #721

2017 Choice Bowie Baysox

Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim will join the Phillies active roster, taking the place of the departed Howie Kendrick.  Kim was hitting .232 this season with the Orioles in 56 games.  In 95 games last season, he hit .302 with 6 home runs and 22 RBIs.  His most readily available baseball cards can be found in 2016 Topps Heritage, 2016 Topps Update and the 2017 Topps Orioles team set.  He's also appeared on a few relic cards within 2017 Donruss and he has a number of baseball cards in Korean sets between 2009 and 2015.

Pitcher Garrett Cleavinger is 2-4 with a 6.28 ERA this season with the Double-A Bowie Baysox.  His baseball cards can be found within recent Orioles' minor league team sets as well as within the 2015 Panini Contenders set.

Jeremy Hellickson Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi New Additions #2
2016 Chachi #9
2016 Chachi #68 ERA Leaders - with Jerad Eickhoff
2016 Chachi #69 Pitching Leaders - with Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez
2016 Chachi #70 Strikeout Leaders - with Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez
2016 Chachi Photo Day #27
2017 Chachi #9
2017 Chachi Archives #17

Departed During the 2017 Season

• Tyler Goeddel - of (4/5/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.
• Dalier Hinojosa - rhp (5/16/17) - Released.
• Mario Hollands - lhp (5/23/17) - Released.
• Taylor Featherston - inf (6/9/17) - Traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash.
• Joely Rodriguez - lhp (6/13/17) - Traded to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later or cash.
• Jeanmar Gomez - rhp (6/20/17) - Designated for assignment, released on 6/25/17 and signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers' organization, 7/15/17.
• Michael Saunders - of (6/20/17) - Designated for assignment, released on 6/25/17 and signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, 6/28/17.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (7/26/17) - Traded to the Colorado Rockies for Jose Gomez, Alejandro Requena and J.D. Hammer.
• Howie Kendrick - lf-2b (7/28/17) - Traded with cash to the Washington Nationals for McKenzie Mills and future considerations.
• Jeremy Hellickson - rhp (7/28/17) - Traded with cash to the Baltimore Orioles for Hyun Soo Kim, Garrett Cleavinger and future considerations.

Arrived During the 2017 Season

• Ty Kelly - inf (4/22/17) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.
• Casey Fien - rhp (5/9/17) - Purchased from the Seattle Mariners.
• Hyun Soo Kim - of (7/28/17) - Acquired with Garrett Cleavinger and future considerations from the Baltimore Orioles for Jeremy Hellickson and cash.