At this point the Phillies’ strong interest in Astros outfielder Hunter Pence is no secret, but Jayson Stark of ESPN.com takes it a step further by quoting sources who claim Philadelphia “had a deal for him earlier in the week, only to have Houston back off.”
Stark couldn’t get confirmation of that from any Astros sources, but says “it’s believed the Phillies structured a deal around” their two best prospects, Single-A first baseman Jonathan Singleton and Single-A right-hander Jarred Cosart.
If that’s true and the Astros turned the offer down, their decision to keep the 28-year-old Pence and his good but not great .818 career OPS looks awfully questionable for a team that needs all the young, cheap, long-term building blocks it can get. That seems pretty close to “offer they can’t refuse” territory.
