Buster Olney had the following update this morning about the asking price for Hunter Pence to the Pittsburgh Pirates (h/t to Bucs Dugout):
All the way up to July 30th, Philadelphia's asking price on Hunter Pence for Pirates was Starling Marte, Lincoln and more. Pretty pricey.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 2, 2012
With that type of return, I’d imagine there was also talk of the Phillies picking up some salary in the deal. Still, that’s a high price to pay for Pence. He’s under control through the 2013 season, and will likely be making north of $14 M next year. When you consider that the Pirates got Travis Snider for Brad Lincoln, the price seems pretty extreme. I’d rather have Snider and Marte than just Hunter Pence.
My thoughts on Pence are similar to Charlie’s from the link above. I think he’s a bit over-rated. I think he’s a good player, but not good enough to warrant $14+ M next year, and I don’t think he’s a player who could guarantee any type of success for the Pirates.
Dejan Kovacevic also had a report on the asking prices from the Phillies. He had the same report on Pence, noting that there was talk of cash being involved in the deal, and an unnamed infielder. He also noted that the Phillies wanted Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, and a third piece for Shane Victorino. Again, I’d rather have Travis Snider under control through the 2016 season, and keep Morris and the other piece. Even if it was Lincoln for Victorino, which was reported earlier, I’d still go with Snider. Victorino is a rental in the middle of a down year. I think Snider could be better this year, and the Pirates would have him for four more years beyond the 2012 season. That seems like a no brainer to me.
