Better Rosenthal Video

[Reuben]

Link
He says the Phillies are very interested in trading for Pence, according to scouts. Buttttt they're not sure if they have the payroll room, etc.

[Ron Brand]

THREE scouts have mentioned it? At this point, I'm happy that there is any kind of buzz at all in that direction.

Oh please. Please.

[Reuben]

THREE scouts have mentioned it? At this point, I'm happy that there is any kind of buzz at all in that direction.

Oh please. Please.

He notes that Crane probably won't want to trade the club's best/most popular player as his first big move after taking over the club. That may be true. On the other hand, perhaps Crane realizes that what got this team into its current quagmire was in part a reluctance to admit that they needed to rebuild. He may figure, a rebuilding has started, but it needs to go further, may as well get it over with as quick as we can. Fans are more knowledgeable about things like that nowadays, and even those who only read the Chron might understand that it is necessary- Levine, Justice (depending on the phase of the moon or which way his cat's tail was twitching that morning, of course) and others have written many stories now about how Drayton should've started tearing it down much sooner. So it might not as bad a PR move as Rosenthal thinks.

[Rebel Jew]

THREE scouts have mentioned it? At this point, I'm happy that there is any kind of buzz at all in that direction.

Oh please. Please.

the other day i was listening to an mma radio show i check out every once in a while. one caller with an east coast accent finished his call by saying some random stuff he wanted to see happen in the near future, including "convincing ed wade to give us hunter pence." SOLD!!!!!!!!!

[austro]

So do the Phillies have anybody we'd actually want (besides Oswalt)?

[Ron Brand]

That Domonic Brown guy might be a nice addition, but I doubt they'd let him go for Pence since they wouldn't give him up for Oswalt. I thought their minors was pretty well mediocre by now.

[moriartp]

They've got some pretty good young pitchers and some impressive athletes. Like the Astros, a lot of their best prospects are in the lower levels right now. They've got more than enough down on the farm to put together a nice package for Gunther.

BA ranked them 10th in organizational talent prior to this season, so not outstanding, but above average.

[pots]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=13046
"The Bad: While Brown has developed a more patient approach, he still has a tendency to expand his strike zone when behind in the count; he can be especially susceptible to chasing breaking balls in the dirt. He has all of the tools to be a plus defender, but he has poor outfield instincts and is often guilty of questionable routes."

A younger Hunter?  

[Ron Brand]

Maybe, but he's younger and left-handed and probably throws better. Maybe he's coachable?

[Reuben]

He has all of the tools to be a plus defender, but he has poor outfield instincts and is often guilty of questionable routes."

Those who know baseball on this site might disagree, I don't know, but to me you don't have ALL the tools if you have poor instincts and take bad routes. I'm sure some of it can be coached/corrected, but still.

In any case I really highly doubt they'd include Brown in any trade- they want him in a corner spot once Ibanez is gone next year. They have some other intriguing guys, but as alluded above, they are  ALL in A-ball right now. mlb.com top 10 list

edit: just noticed that link just goes to the top 50 prospects page. You have to click "top 10 by team" to find the Phils.

[OregonStrosFan]

Looks good, doesn't it!

Phillies top 10 prospects (per BA): LINK

1.   Domonic Brown, of
2.   Jonathan Singleton, 1b/of
3.   Brody Colvin, rhp
4.   Jarred Cosart, rhp
5.   Trevor May, rhp
6.   Sebastian Valle, c
7.   Jiwan James, of
8.   Jesse Biddle, lhp
9.   Domingo Santana, of
10.   Aaron Altherr, of

An issue for the Phillies though (MLB Trade Rumors Link): Phillies Could Face Luxury Tax With Deadline Moves

[Rebel Jew]

Those who know baseball on this site might disagree, I don't know, but to me you don't have ALL the tools if you have poor instincts and take bad routes. I'm sure some of it can be coached/corrected, but still.

isn't that the difference between tools and skills? at least the way scouts identify it

[Ron Brand]

Looks good, doesn't it!

Phillies top 10 prospects (per BA): LINK

1.   Domonic Brown, of
2.   Jonathan Singleton, 1b/of
3.   Brody Colvin, rhp
4.   Jarred Cosart, rhp
5.   Trevor May, rhp
6.   Sebastian Valle, c
7.   Jiwan James, of
8.   Jesse Biddle, lhp
9.   Domingo Santana, of
10.   Aaron Altherr, of

An issue for the Phillies though (MLB Trade Rumors Link): Phillies Could Face Luxury Tax With Deadline Moves

Outside of Brown, only one of those guys is above High-A.

[Jacksonian]

Outside of Brown, only one of those guys is above High-A.

The Phillies are not a great fit.  I can't imagine Wade giving up Pence for less than Cosart, Biddle, and another good prospect at AA or AAA.  A three-way maybe the only way the Astros deal with them.  I wonder if there's a team out there who could use Ibanez and has a few good prospects to give up?

[Ron Brand]

Some woodhead in the comments from one of the articles linked above thought it would be a great idea to give Brown and Worley for Pence. If only...

[astrosfan76]

I wouldn't want him as the centerpiece, but Bastardo could make sense in a trade.