Atlanta Braves Trade Rumors: Hunter Pence's Last Hope out of Houston

Who doesn’t want out of Houston?

The organization from top to bottom is in shambles. The Astros are easily the worst team in the Majors and have very little direction moving forward. The only place they’re going is down.

They need to blow up the entire roster and start from scratch. In a weak trade market, their best bet is to receive prospects for the No. 1 slugger left on any team’s trade block, Hunter Pence.

At this point, it looks as if the Atlanta is Pence’s last gleaming hope of light to get out of the MLB cellar known as Houston. If any man on the block is brave enough to play in Hotlanta, it’s Pence.

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“#phillies seem to have all but given up on pence after big offer rejected. #braves last team in on pence,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman on Twitter.

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The Braves continue to surge and hope is not lost that they can even catch the Philadelphia Phillies, who have dealt with injuries throughout the season.

At the very least, the Braves will secure the National League Wild Card and enter the postseason as the No. 1 threat to the Phils and defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants.

As we sit today, though, the Braves essentially have their hands forced.

It is imperative they make a deal by Sunday with top slugger Brian McCann now on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique. McCann seemed to go to the DL as soon as he left the game against the Pirates earlier this week, which means Atlanta will play it safe and could keep him out longer than just 15 days.

Atlanta has been in search of a slugger for weeks and now that Carlos Beltran is in San Francisco and Philadelphia may land Carlos Quentin, the Braves need to make a splash.

Will Ryan Ludwick or Josh Willingham cut it? Not anymore. Not with McCann sidelined for the dog days of August.

The Braves need to exhaust their resources to convince Houston to part ways with their perceived franchise cornerstone.

With the lineup hindered in Atlanta, the Braves need to land the man from Houston who has single-handedly been the Astros’ lineup. Seriously, Pence has done it all in Houston despite the severe lack of a supporting cast.

The first ballot All-Star is somehow hitting .307 with 11 HR, 24 2B, 62 RBI and 48 runs scored in his atrocious lineup. These are phenomenal numbers for a man who is becoming phenomenal in the batter’s box.

More importantly, Pence is simply a beast in the outfield. He has fantastic speed and instincts to track the ball. Even better, he has a pinpoint accurate rocket arm that allows him to assist his defense like very few outfielders in this league can.

Atlanta has the pieces to woo Houston into a deal, most notably with starting pitcher Mike Minor.

As Atlanta and San Francisco have proven over the past calendar year, the Majors are all about pitching, especially in the postseason. A team is more likely to win it all with great pitching than it is with great hitting.

It will be a blow initially for Houston to deal Pence, but not when taking into account that they will not compete for a few seasons and will at least have quality starting pitchers to hang their hat on, finally.

Perhaps just as important, this would be a blockbuster power move in the game of NL East chess.

The Phillies were heavily interested in Pence, but Houston turned down their deal. Philly would have to take notice of Atlanta if they were able to land the man they couldn’t, the man who can put them over the top in every phase of the game.

Atlanta has the pitching as is to win a World Series, but Pence is essential to securing the deal. Without him in right field and the batter’s box, Atlanta is sure to fall short in the postseason. His impeccable defense and offense will make the Braves an instant threat to the Phillies in October. 

Brandon Galvin is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist and Syndicated Writer. Follow Him on Twitter.