In his latest blog post for ESPN Insider, Buster Olney takes a look at the trade market for Houston outfielder Hunter Pence. Reports on Pence have been churning over the past day or so, since Olney first reported that the Astros were showing a willingness to deal Pence in trade discussions. Here are some of the details from Olney's post, which requires an ESPN Insider subscription, although there's way more in the post itself:
- Looking at a different source on the Pence situation, Peter Gammons tweeted about an hour ago that the Astros can't find a multi-player deal for Pence that they like, which means that the outfielder is likely to stay in Houston. He also notes that some AL teams are concerned about how Houston lefty Wandy Rodriguez might adjust to AL hitting.
- Moving past the blog post, Olney recently tweeted that the Phillies would like to frame any deal for Pence around right-handed pitcher Vance Worley. Worley, 23, has a 2.02 ERA in 62 innings with the Phillies this year, but he wasn't regarded as a premium prospect coming into the season and it's hard for me to believe that the Astros will accept him as the centerpiece to a Pence deal.
- A month ago, the perception among GM's was that Pence would be untouchable. But recently, "some officials with other teams say that not only are the Astros willing to talk about Pence, but Houston's conversations seem to be heading for a deal."