JUPITER, Fla. -- Jeremy Hellickson is working on two new additions to his pitching arsenal this spring -- a quick pitch and a slider.

During Hellickson's latest Grapefruit League start in Monday's 9-8 walk-off loss to the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, he mixed in about four sliders and threw in the quick pitch he has spent all offseason honing. Because of his slow and deliberate delivery, Hellickson, who turns 32 in April, plans on incorporating the quick pitch into regular-season games to stop hitters from being able to time so easily. But the slider is something he has tinkered with for years, searching for a strikeout pitch to add to his repertoire and go along with his changeup.

"I just think nowadays a slider is a big strikeout pitch and I've just never had one," Hellickson said. "I have the cutter to lefties, but it's more trying to get weak contact -- the changeup is my strikeout pitch. So [the slider's] something different, a little harder going away to righties. It's a tough pitch to throw, been trying to throw one forever."

Of the four sliders he threw Monday, Hellickson recalled getting one hitter to swing and miss, which left him pleased with his progress. But could we see this slider in a regular-season game? Don't count on it yet.

"I just never take it into the season," Hellickson said. "I don’t want to get beat with a pitch I’m not comfortable with. But nowadays you need a strikeout pitch."

The changeup was Hellickson's go-to putaway pitch a year ago, and it was effective. Per Statcast, Hellickson used his changeup 34 percent of the time with two strikes (up from 26 percent normally), and he limited opposing batters to a .130 batting average (6-for-46) and a .239 slugging percentage with 19 strikeouts and one home run. Adding a slider could complement that changeup and help Hellickson last deeper into games, a goal of his for this season.

And perhaps there is no better staff to be a member of for a pitcher trying to develop a slider, especially with the addition of Patrick Corbin.

"It’s a good rotation to learn a slider from," Hellickson said. "Corbin coming over with probably the best slider in the game, talked to him a little bit. I'm just trying to get comfortable with it, and really like any pitch, try to get to where I can throw it at any count, any situation."