Despite the Philadelphia Phillies owning the best record in the majors and featuring one of the most dominant rotations in recent years, the team is still looking to improve at the trade deadline, primarily offensively.
It looks like they may be on their way to acquiring that coveted bat.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, the Phillies have made Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence "far and away their No. 1 target." Despite the Phillies' pursuit, though, the two teams have been unable to agree on a trade. So, the clubs have been searching for a third team to include in a deal that would ultimately land the All-Star in Philly.
According to SI's Jon Heyman, Houston wants pitching in any trade for its stud outfielder. Any deal would surely include Phillies pitching prospect, Jarred Cosart, who ranked fourth among prospects in the organization entering the season. Philles top prospect Domonic Brown is not being mentioned in the talks, as the Astros prefer "younger prospects", Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal reports.
The Phillies offense has been rather average so far this season, with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins all performing well below their typical standards. Pence, meanwhile, was an All-Star this season and is batting .309 with 11 home runs and 62 RBI.
