The Philadelphia Phillies made their big move of the trading season on Friday night. Hunter Pence will be heading to Philadelphia in exchange for top-prospects Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton along with two players-to-be-named-later. Pence has since left the dugout in Houston and will likely join the Phillies Saturday or Sunday.
This was a big haul for the Astros. GM Ed Wade has his job on the line and he needed to rebuild a franchise that has struggled to produce talented young players the last few seasons. Cosart and Singleton will help greatly. Wade will now turn his attention to potentially trading Wandy Rodriguez or, more importantly for Braves fans, Michael Bourn*.
*Just a quick note on Bourn. Some of you have asked (or criticized) recent reports wanting to bring Bourn to Atlanta. Yes, he is left handed and no, he isn't a power hitter, but he has been the most valuable center fielder in baseball since 2009 in terms of WAR. Just something to consider.
The Phillies get a talented outfielder in Pence, but the price was steep and he'll earn roughly $25 million dollars the next 26 months.
It's now time for the Braves to make their move. Stay tuned.