The Pence Appeal

If you remember, I wrote an article back in late June proposing that the Phillies should be open to the idea of trading Domonic Brown for Hunter Pence. Now it seems that the trade I proposed could become a reality as reports are coming in that the Phils are interested in the Astros' outfielder. Although the Phillies would probably have to surrender a guy like Domonic Brown, take the following points into consideration.

Pence went to arbitration before the start of this season and was awarded 6.9 million. If the Phils were to somehow acquire Pence and are unable to reach a deal at the end of the year they still control him for the next 2 seasons as Pence will just go to arbitration in 2012 and 2013 and not become a free agent until 2014. According to brotherlyglove.com, "his arbitration salaries would probably end up at $9 million next year and $12 million in 2012." That is reasonable and the fact that he is controlled for the next 2 seasons makes him that much more desirable than Carlos Beltran.

Beltran is a free agent at the end of this year and his 2011 salary is somewhere in the neighborhood of 18.5 million. Simply put, the Phils don't have the money to resign Beltran and he is nothing more than a 3 month rental that will high tail it out of here once the season ends.

Although Pence doesn't have the same career success as Beltran, he is currently hitting .308 compared to Beltran's .291. And in my opinion Pence is much better in the field than Beltran.

Jim Salisbury of csnphilly.com has reported that to acquire Pence the Phils would most likely have to put together a package centered around Dom Brown and another prospect like Jonathan Singleton or Jarred Cosart.

Personally I would do the Dom Brown and Singleton/Cosart package for Pence in a heart beat. Pence will be here for the remainder of this season and the next 2 years. He is a proven major league All-Star and a guy that has hit 25 HR and 70 plus RBI's the past 3 seasons. I think that Dom Brown has an upside, but we are talking about a guy in Hunter Pence who maximizes your chances at a World Series this year and will be here for years to come.

Dom Brown has an upside no doubt. But I don't think that he has that big of an upside that the Phillies won't move him. He could be a .250 hitter the rest of his life and in the meantime the Phils should take advantage of his trade luster and get a proven guy in Hunter Pence.