PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have acquired Astros All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence, two sources said Friday.
A deal could be announced before the end of the night.
Pence was pulled from the Astros' game in Milwaukee in the bottom of the fifth inning. He had taken the field for warmups before Jason Michaels was sent out to replace him. Pence could be seen hugging teammates in the dugout before heading to the clubhouse.
One source said the Phillies will send four prospects to the Astros for Pence. None of those players are outfielder Domonic Brown or right-hander Vance Worley, both of whom had been rumored at different times to be part of a deal. Class A first baseman Jonathan Singleton and Class A pitcher Jarred Cosart are part of the trade.
MLB.com ranks Cosart and Singleton the 37th and 38th best prospects in baseball. They are the organization's top two prospects.
Double-A pitcher Josh Zeid also is in the deal. The fourth player is to be named later.
The trade boosts a Philadelphia lineup looking up to keep up with its strong pitching staff. Pence, 28, is hitting .309 with 11 home runs and 62 RBIs. He has a .356 on-base percentage and a .472 slugging percentage. He should help a lineup that has struggled against left-handed pitching this season.
"He's a good, hard-nosed player," said Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt, who played with Pence in Houston. "Plays hard, gives 100 percent on the field. Don't have to worry about him putting his work in. He's going to put his work in. ... His first year in, he had the aura about himself that he wanted to help carry the team even though it was his first year. He has a leadership mentality as far as not wanting to accept second fiddle on anybody."
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