The white flag has apparently been raised in Philly. Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area is reporting that the team has an agreement to deal right fielder Hunter Pence to the Giants, and is waiting for approval from Giants ownership.
A year after acquiring him from the Astros in exchange for mega prospects Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton (along with lesser prospects Domingo Santana and Josh Zeid), it appears that Pence will be on the move again. In 54 games with the Phillies last year, Pence had 11 homers and a .954 OPS, accruing 2.6 fWAR for the NL East champs. This year in 101 games with the Fightins, Pence has 17 homers, but just a .783 OPS, only giving the team a disappointing 1.2 fWAR in right field. After the Phillies got swept this weekend by the Braves, and after Cole Hamels' massive extension early last week, the team needed to shed some salary and try to get some value for them. Pence, who is still under arbitration next year and is making $10.4 million this year.
Now, this deal is not confirmed by any means. Baggarly received a text from Giants VP Bobby Evans, who said that there's no deal in place for Pence. The trade was initially floated out by Dennis O'Donnell from KPIX Sports in San Francisco. O'Donnell also claimed minor league catcher Tommy Joseph was involved in the deal, but that's all we know right now. More to come as this developes…
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