Breaking: Hunter Pence has been removed from the Houston Astros game and has been seen hugging his teammates. According to Jon Morosi, the deal will include 1B Jonathon Singleton and RHP Jarrod Cosart. Matt Gelb reports that RHP Josh Zeid will also be a part of the deal.
Before the season, Singleton and Cosart were ranked by Baseball America as the Phillies 2nd and 4th best prospects, which makes this a very risky trade for the team. Singleton was blocked by Ryan Howard at first base, but the Phillies should have been able to get much more value out of him and Cosart than Pence.
While Pence is a good player, he does not represent much of an upgrade over Domonic Brown, the Phillies current right fielder. This feels much like a huge overpay by the Phillies, but we will not know for sure until the careers of Singleton and Cosart are solidified. Also, Pence may come up with a clutch hit that leads to a World Series win. Flags fly forever.
There have been no decisions made as to what the Phillies will do with their now crowded outfield, but a Domonic Brown demotion to Triple-A doesn't make this team much better than they were before the trade.