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Roy Oswalt Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [July 23, 2010 at 4:35pm CST]

The Twins, Cardinals and Phillies are talking to the Astros about Roy Oswalt, who seems to prefer one of those clubs to the others. Yesterday we heard that the Cardinals are Oswalt’s first choice and are a “very real” threat to acquire him. The clubs have struggled to find a fit, possibly because the Cardinals want the Astros to take on salary. That's not the only complication, as Oswalt may decide to demand that his $16MM option for 2012 is picked up. Here are today’s rumors, with more to come throughout the day:

Oswalt told Alyson Footer of the Astros that his 2012 option won't be a deal-breaker if the Astros approach him with a deal that he likes (Twitter link).
The Twins are not in on Oswalt and have not even contacted the Astros about him, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Rosenthal confirms that the Dodgers are talking to the Astros about their ace, but suggests L.A. may not have the prospects to satisfy GM Ed Wade.
The Dodgers are actively discussing Oswalt with the Astros and the teams have exchanged names, according to Stark. The Dodgers would likely need the Astros to pick up some salary in any trade.
The Astros would prefer not to trade Oswalt within the division, so they continue talking to the Phillies, while maintaining contact with the Cardinals, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. A source tells ESPN that the Cardinals would include major leaguers Jon Jay or Brendan Ryan in a deal. The Astros, who would like to engage other clubs, appear to want a catcher and/or corner infielders.
The Phillies are still shopping Jayson Werth, partly to see if they can obtain prospects that they could use in an Oswalt trade, according to Stark. However, they don’t appear to be making progress on a Werth trade.
The Cardinals aim to add an innings-eater this summer, though not necessarily an ace, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Oswalt would consider re-structuring his contract to accomodate a trade to the Cardinals, but he still wants his 2012 option picked up in a deal, according to Amy Nelson of ESPN (via Twitter). Re-structuring the deal would likely mean deferring salary (Twitter link).
An NL exec tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the Astros are looking to obtain “two top prospects, a third minor-league player and a young player who is ‘major league ready’” if they trade Oswalt. Cards GM John Mozeliak didn’t comment on specific trade possibilities, but said the team is exploring a “spectrum” of opportunities.