Baseball trade deadline: Hunter Pence rumor is just that -- for now

Hunter Pence went from a last-place team to a division leader at last year’s trade deadline, and it looks as if he might be doing the same thing again this season.

Or maybe not.

What we do know right now is that the Philadelphia Phillies, winners of the National League East the last five years, are dead last this season — and after being swept by Atlanta over the weekend, they might be looking to move some pieces to help build for the future.

One of those pieces is rumored to be Pence, the outfielder who was acquired by Philadelphia at this time last year from the abysmal Houston Astros as the Phillies were pulling away in the NL East. On Sunday, KPIX-TV in San Francisco reported that Pence had been traded to the Giants, who are currently tied with the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, for minor-league catcher Tommy Joseph.

But Giants Vice President Bobby Evans then texted KPIX, saying there’s “no truth to the rumor” about the Pence-Joseph trade. Chances are we won’t what is really going on until we closer to or past Tuesday’s 1 p.m. PT deadline.

Pence, who is hitting .271 with 59 RBI and 17 home runs, might want to have his bags packed, just in case. Some of his teammates probably should think about doing the same — you never know what is going to happen in the next 30 hours or so.

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