"The Astros' agreeing to trade their only All-Star and most popular player after two days of rapidly escalating negotiations proved to be as much about when as it was about who.

They could have had Hunter Pence for the rest of the year. The next two years too without another team getting a shot at him. But their shipping Pence and $2 million cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for a package of four prospects was a sign of just how far away the organization is from contention, not just in wins and losses but in time.

The two centerpieces of the deal, pitcher Jarred Cosart, who attended Clear Creek High School, and first baseman/outfielder Jonathan Singleton, are still three jumps from the major leagues.

They are likely a year away from even making the big leagues, as the Astros hope they can join with prospects currently in Class A and Class AA ball to form the core of the franchise's next competitive team. As the Astros were mired in what is on pace to be their worst season in franchise history, it was becoming less clear that Pence would be around before his free agency kicked in at the end of 2013.

"We've set out on a path here and have been very aggressive over the last couple of years to try to get younger, to try to get more athletic in our system," said general manager Ed Wade, who last week traded second baseman Jeff Keppinger to clear the way for 21-year-old prospect Jose Altuve and has Altuve's former Class AA teammate J.D. Martinez coming to take Pence's spot.

Pence departs the veteran of 680 games and two All-Star Games, having become the face of the franchise that started its rebuilding process exactly one year to the day earlier with the trades of Roy Oswalt and, the next day, Lance Berkman."