Hunter Pence: Philadelphia Phillies Trade Outfielder to San Francisco Giants

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ fire sale continues.

After trading Shane Victorino just over an hour ago to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants have countered with a move of their own, acquiring Hunter Pence from the Phillies.

Pence, who the Phillies acquired at last year’s deadline for prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid and Domingo Santana, was outstanding for the Phillies last season, hitting well over .300 with 11 home runs in his two months with the team. After hitting 17 so far this year and posting a .271 batting average with 59 RBI. He’s struggled at times both offensively and defensively this year, but as a former All-Star, Pence is still a great right-handed hitting outfielder, which is exactly what the Giants needed.

In return, the Phillies will get catching prospect Tommy Joseph and likely other prospects, though no other players coming to Philadelphia have been named yet if there are any.

Joseph, the Giants’ number two prospect entering the season according to Baseball America, is said to have great game-calling skills and has tremendously improved his ball-blocking skills and overall defense. His throwing arm is very accurate and offensively he’s an excellent power hitter, though he’s still working on upping his average. There were once questions of his ability to remain a catcher, but they’re now nonexistent. Joseph should remain as a backstop.

The Giants get the perfect piece their outfield and lineup needs. Pence will be a nice force in the middle of the lineup, and the Phillies get a pretty decent catching prospect back at the very least. Although the Phillies have Sebastian Valle in the minors, he’s hasn’t made the progress the Phillies were hoping he would have made by now.

Check back here for updates on the Pence deal as they come around.

1:30 p.m. EDT UPDATE: The deal isn’t done just yet. Per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:

 

 

Also being told that #SF Giants deal for Pence is “not done” and some issues need to be completed beyond physicals.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 31, 2012

So it’s not just physicals that needs to be completed. Alright. Well, whether a deal happens or not, stay tuned.

2:00 p.m. EDT UPDATE: Pence has officially been dealt to the Giants. The Phillies will receive Joseph, outfielder Nate Schierholtz, and minor league pitcher Seth Rosin in return. The Phillies will also send over some salary relief to the Giants.

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