Philadelphia Phillies: Hunter Pence Worth a Gamble, but for Domonic Brown?

According to a report by Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com on Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies are keeping tabs on Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence.

“He’s the guy they want,” a baseball official said to Salisbury. “But the price is very high.”

So the question is, how high is too high?

The player Houston would be most likely to receive in return would be Domonic Brown, according to Salisbury. It is easy to understand why. Brown is an up-and-coming prospect whom the Phillies have been grooming to be an everyday outfielder. If the Astros are going to give up on Pence, an all-star outfielder, they would require a player with potential to replace him.

The Phillies and Astros have made a number of trades with each other over the years, especially since former Phillies general manager Ed Wade was hired by Houston for the same position.

For the most part, those trades have paid off well for the Phillies, including a couple of moves to acquire Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt. The Astros in turn have turned prospect Michael Bourne in to an all-star center fielder and have benefitted from acquiring Brett Myers. J.A. Happ has had his ups and downs in Houston.

Should the Phillies be willing to trade Brown if it means getting Pence?

Pence may give the Phillies a better chance to win this season than Brown will, but how many times can the Phillies trade away the future in order to increase the odds of winning now?

It is a tough debate with no certain answers. If Brown develops the way the Phillies would hope, then who is to say Brown does not give the team a better chance to win next year, the year after that and the year after that?

The Phillies’ general manager is known to make a bold move. Since taking over the job from Pat GIllick, Amaro has orchestrated deals to acquire Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Oswalt, Placido Polanco and Cliff Lee (again).

Compared to some of those moves, getting Pence on the roster would seem to be a piece of cake, even if his payroll is said to be maxed out. Nothing should be thought of as impossible with Amaro at the helm.

But should he pull the trigger on Pence for Brown, and likely another prospect or two?

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com