Hunter Pence Trade: Outfielder Removed From Game, Deal To Phillies Complete

The Houston Astros have completed a deal to send Hunter Pence to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, and it doesn't get more official than word from MLB.com:

Buster Olney notes that Pence was seen shaking hands and hugging his former teammates in the dugout after receiving word while the Astros were in the middle of a game against the Brewers in Milwaukee. Pence was 0-for-1 in the game with a pop-out in his final at-bat with the Astros.

Pence was a 2nd-round pick in the 2004 MLB draft, and he made his debut with the Astros in 2007. He played 680 games for the Astros, good for 29th on the franchise list between Derek Bell and Morgan Ensberg. There's some sort of hidden message in that last factoid, but I'm not smart enough to figure out exactly what it means.