Who's left to root for?
Hunter Pence is gone: Traded to Phillies for two top prospects
Hunter Pence is no longer a Houston Astro. The face of the franchise has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for two high-level prospects.
The Astros are getting first baseman Jonathan Singleton and right-handed pitcher Jarred Cosart for their most popular player and lone 2011 All-Star. Houston also received right-handed pitcher Josh Zeid and a player to be named later, but both Zeid and that player to come are minor prospects that aren't considered a major impact on the deal.
Pence has been pulled from the lineup from tonight's game in Milwaukee. When he went to the bench in the fifth inning, he started shaking hands and hugging the Astros teammates he will be leaving behind. Houston's heartbroken fans won't get to say their own goodbyes.
"We’re going to miss him," Astros general manager Ed Wade said in a conference call Friday night. "He’s the kind of guy that even us jaded people — who get to see baseball games for free for 35 years — would pay to see Hunter Pence play. So we clearly recognize the magnitude of what this deal means in that regard.
"But, again, time and circumstance dictates we move this forward and get younger, get athletic in the system, get depth in the system."
The most jarring part of the deal from the Houston perspective is that the Astros gave up Pence without getting either of the Phillies top two youngsters — outfielder Domonic Brown or pitcher Vance Worley.
Pence will drop right into the white-hot nexus of a baseball mad town, joining a Phillies team that already loomed as the favorite to represent the National League in the World Series.
The most jarring part of the deal from the Houston perspective is that the Astros gave up Pence without getting either of the Phillies top two youngsters — outfielder Domonic Brown or right-hander Vance Worley, who are more than Major League ready. (Worley's already sometimes MLB dominant).
Worley and Brown had both been mentioned in possible Pence deals. Instead, Astros general manager Ed Wade landed two Class A prospects.
Singleton is a former eighth round draft pick who developed into a big-time prospect, hitting .290 with 14 home runs and 77 RBI in 109 games for the Phillies' Class A team last season. Cosart is a 21-year-old Texas native who has gone 9-8 with a 3.92 ERA for the club's high Class A Clearwater team this season.
The Phillies have become the go-to trade partner for Wade, who worked as Philadelphia's GM, drafting many of the stars that now make up one of the best teams in baseball and hiring the franchise's current manager Charlie Manuel. Wade traded Astros ace Roy Oswalt to Philly last season. Now, he's sent another star — this time a relatively young star (Pence is 28) at the peak of his career — there in his attempt to rebuild the team with the worst record in baseball.
