An agent's dissenting view of Astros' Pence

At this time of year, with the time until the trading deadline measured in hours instead of days or weeks, the tug of war frequently comes down to Today vs. Tomorrow.

The late Washington Redskins coach George Allen famously philosophized that the future is now, and it would seem that most Phillies fans concur. There is a strong tide of public opinion that, after constructing a pitching staff for the ages, Ruben Amaro Jr. must now do whatever it takes to get the righthanded bat the lineup so clearly needs and ignore the potential downside down the road.

Most of the speculation has settled on Astros rightfielder Hunter Pence. In recent days, the drumbeat has gotten louder, imploring the Phillies to make Houston an offer it can't refuse even if it means trading Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Domonic Brown, Vance Worley, whoever, before 4 p.m. Sunday arrives.

Go for it now because, after all, >manana never comes.

And now, speaking for the opposing standpoint, Rob Plummer . . .

He's a successful agent who has focused his efforts on talent-rich Latin America. He watches baseball through a scout's eyes. He's also a Philadelphia native who unabashedly wishes nothing but the best for the Phillies. And his dispassionate assessment of the cost-benefit ratio is that getting Pence would be a huge mistake that will ultimately backfire badly. His scouting report:

Not a fast bat . . . Needs to cheat a lot and therefore strikes out a lot . . . Not a high OPS guy . . . Would not protect [Ryan] Howard in the batting order . . . Not a guy I would like to pay a lot over the next 3 years like you would have to in [arbitration] . . . Not a great defensive player either. Not a premium guy worth giving up premium cheap future-salaried young players . . . I would trade the young guys if it was a guy with an OPS of .950 or above, more athletic with higher upside with a faster bat."

He added that, in his opinion, Pence is the kind of hitter who can compile decent numbers during the regular season but is susceptible to the consistently superior starters that teams face in the playoffs.

Plummer doesn't dispute that Pence might be the best righthanded bat believed to be available. He just doesn't think that's a good enough reason to move blindly ahead at the expense of 2013, 2014 and beyond. And he's especially reluctant to part with Cosart.