On the same day that the Philadelphia Eagles made a major move to bolster their championship credentials, the Philadelphia Phillies were not be outdone. According to SI’s Jon Heyman, the Phillies have agreed to a deal that will send prospects Jarred Cosart and Jonathon Singleton to the Houston Astros for all star outfielder Hunter Pence.
Per Heyman, the Astros will also receive two players to be named later and the Phillies will receive some cash in the deal to keep them from hitting the luxury tax threshold. Pence was pulled from the fifth inning of tonight’s game in Houston and was seen hugging players in the dugout.
Originally, the reports were that the Phillies may have to include Domonic Brown and/or Vance Worley in any deal for Pence, but that turned out not to be the case. However, it’s not as if the Phils got away cheap here. Cosart and Singleton were the organization’s top pitching and hitting prospects respectively. However, it’s worth noting that Singleton was blocked at first base by Ryan Howard, so he was also going to be trade bait anyway.
In Pence, the Phillies get the right handed outfield bat that GM Ruben Amaro has clearly desired. Plus, they get Pence under team control through the 2013 season. So while this deal is absolutely about winning the year, Pence is also the replacement for Raul Ibanez, who is in the final year of his deal. It sets up the Phillies outfield for the next three years as Pence, Victorino and Brown.