In the internet age and with tools at our disposal like Twitter and Facebook, it’s tough to imagine any professional athlete is ever surprised when they’re traded. Everything starts as a rumor, and if you keep up with sports news you usually have an idea of any move that’s about to be made before the announcement is made official. Hunter Pence says he didn’t do that, and that’s why he is surprised the Phillies shipped him to San Francisco on Tuesday in exchange for prospects.
“(I didn’t know about it) until it happened,” Pence said according to CSNPhilly.com. “I didn’t hear anything. This year I honestly really didn’t pay attention to any of that, so I didn’t hear rumors. I talked to the media like, maybe, one time. So really it just kind of happened. Now I’m on to play for San Francisco and hopefully be in a playoff race.”
Pence went on to reiterate that the trade was “very surprising” when reporters mentioned that it seemed like he would be in Philly for the long haul. In 54 games after being traded from the Astros to the Phillies last season, Pence batted .324 with 11 homers and 35 RBI. He seemed like a perfect fit, but an unexpectedly poor season in Philly that has been tarnished by injuries obviously resulted in a change in plans. Based on how uncomfortable he looked in the interview, I’m almost inclined to believe Pence that he had no idea he was about to be traded.
