Report: Phillies “had a deal” for Hunter Pence, but Astros “backed off”

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.

Update, 7:49 PM ET: The Nationals placed Howie Kendrick on the 10-day disabled list with a right Achilles injury. In a corresponding move, right-hander Jefry Rodriguez was recalled from Double-A Potomac.

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Nationals left fielder Howie Kendrick was removed from the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Dodgers after injuring his right leg. In the eighth inning, Kendrick tracked a Max Muncy sac fly to the wall, but landed strangely on his right leg and fell to the ground. Unable to put weight on it, he was forced to exit the field on a cart and was sent to undergo an MRI soon afterward, the results of which have yet to be revealed.

While the Nationals have not specified the nature or severity of Kendrick’s injury, Martinez revealed that it’s located in the “lower part” of the outfielder’s leg and appears to be quite severe. He’ll likely be placed on the 10-day disabled list in the next couple of days, though the recovery process could take even longer.

Prior to the incident, Kendrick was off to a hot start this season. Entering Saturday’s doubleheader, he carried a batting line of .302/.331/.477 with 18 extra-base hits and an .808 OPS in 157 plate appearances. He went 1-for-3 on Saturday with a base hit in the seventh inning. Andrew Stevenson subbed in for Kendrick following the injury and has been tabbed to start in left field for the second game of the doubleheader at 8:05 PM ET.