Yesterday we learned that location doesn't matter for Roy Oswalt, but he will require his $16MM option for 2012 to be picked up upon a trade. The Astros' asking price remains high even as the number of suitors dwindles. Today's rumors, with the latest bullets added up top throughout the day…
- The Rangers looked into acquiring Oswalt even after completing the Cliff Lee deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. There is no match in terms of players, and the money would've been extremely challenging. Still, the inquiry shows that the Rangers are not messing around.
I’m a Phils fan and honestly after hearing all the crap about this guy (i.e. not wanting to play in Philly cause of fans and the media, option being picked up, back issues with 3 Cortisone shots and probably a 4th, and the fact he’s a total diva), I really don’t want him on the team.
Oswalt doesn’t make sense for the Phillies. They don’t need a No. 1. They need a solid No. 3 to slot in behind Halladay and Hamels and in front of Happ.
Ted Lilly is the way to go. I think he’d be a perfect fit here. Underrated pitcher.
Except for his extreme fly ball tendencies. He’s a good pitcher, but may not be a good fit for the park the Phillies play in.
How bout Fausto Carmona? He’s a sinker ball pitcher so that should play well in our park. He has pretty good stuff too.
I’d prefer him, but the word is the Indians aren’t real big on trading him. They’d rather trade Westbrook…who doesn’t really help the Phils very much IMO.
Westbrook would be another Joe Blanton type. No thanks!
There is absolutely no reason for the Indians to trade Carmona at this point. The only way they do that is if you make them an offer they can’t refuse.
If the Indians were really looking to move him, they’d do better in the off season when all teams could be involved. He’s still young, and he’s on a long term (2014 with options) team friendly contract.
Jake Westbrook
Totally agree. I would not want to see Happ traded away.
You really shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Oswalt is not a diva. He never said anything about not wanting to play for Philly; that was a bogus Ken Rosenthal rumor from one of his “sources” which was debunked yesterday when Oswalt was asked himself. He hasn’t had three cortisone shots; he had two, one of them in the middle of last season, and one at the beginning of this year, and he hasn’t had another one since.
What are you his agent? ;-}
Wah wah wha..Im a Phils fan and honestly we dont have a shot at the playoffs this year… Wah wah wah, Get over it. Its no secret that the Phil fans are band wagon fans and only enjoy and respect thier team when they are winning. So the guy wants to play for a less of a mess team. Cant blame him.
Seriously dude? You don’t know anything about me. I’ve been a fan of this team forever and have watched the dreck they used to throw out day in and day out, so don’t tell me I’m a band wagon fan.
Why don’t you bring something to the table other than taking shots at Phillies fans. You give St. Louis fans a bad name with that dribble you call a post. I’m sure you’re a band wagon fan yourself and know nothing about your team other than Albert Pujols.
“So the guy wants to play for a less of a mess team. Cant blame him.”
And If I recall correctly, St. Louis didn’t win the NL pennant the past two years?
I have met some pretty hardcore Phillies fans… please don’t consider this guy indicative of most Cards fans.
Yeah okay tool, we draw 3.6 million you have your stadium half empty when it is too hot and have cheap owners, we will enjoy ending your season in Oct.
I’m not going to resort to calling you the tool…..Philly is drawing great crowds. But St. Louis is 4th in the league in attendance. Fans pack the seats in St. Louis every year. Not really sure where you are getting your info about the “stadium half empty”
What?? We have tons of fans at are stadium.. your lucky to find a decent seat at any game.. your stadium is a mini Busch… Man, you would be lucky if the Phils made the playoffs.. your teams in absolute shambles right now.. Your outfielder screwed your 2nd baseman’s wife for christ sake.. Look, your a douche and and in denial. We can be cheap all we want but the truth is we have you in just about every category.. World titles, Division championships, MVPS, pitching, list goes on. JOE CARTER ALL DAY! Hows that for classy…
Oswalt a diva? lol… do research before you open your trap. This guy is a team player who works as hard as anyone, is respected by ALL players and wants NO media attention. If you’re looking for a diva, google Manny Ramirez. The question is are the Phillies delusional enough to trade Werth and further weaken their horrid offense and think adding a pitcher is going to be the answer? No wonder why Oswalt doesn’t want to pitch there.
What is obvious is that he actually does not want to be traded, but rather wants to give the impression of wanting to be traded. If we look into the way this year has gone for Oswalt, it started with a clamoring saying that this will be his last contract, then wants to be traded, now wants his option picked up as part of a trade.
If I as an employee for a particular organization was extremely unhappy and had a legally binding contract, I would do everything in my power to break that contract. However, Oswalt has not acted in line with his demands. In fact, his actions claim that he wants to stay, but wants to gain more leverage and alter his reputation.
As a Phillies phan, I was furious when I heard them linked to Oswalt, and continue to get angrier as this looms. He is having an aberation of a year, owed FAR too much money, and won’t fit in with the team. This year he has a resounding 2.7 WAR. $5 million per win is a steep price to pay. If we are dead set on acquiring pitching, go after Ted Lilly, take the moderate success and the picks for the lower prospects.
yes, and if indeed he wants to stay in Houston, then clearly, the guy has other priorities other than winning. that’s fine, though i wouldn’t want him on my team– but then do what joe mauer did and give your team a healthy hometown discount, shut up, and play.
This is complete lunacy at this point. Oswalt’s games are making teams uninterested, and I certaintely wouldn’t want him on my team if I was a GM/front office person.
If I’m the rest of MLB, I’m starting to get really pissed about the Rangers being able to acquire all these impact players without having any owner/money. It’s not fair that MLB is paying for them to improve their team.
And the Rangers are still under the budget the set with MLB before the season even started. They haven’t done anything wrong by acquiring players yet. If anything, they’ve hurt themselves more than they normally would if they had normal ownership b/c they’re having to overpay in terms of prospects to stay under that budget…you’re team could do the same thing if they were loaded w/ prospects and not so hesitant to deal them
Well said. Though it will probably fall on deaf ears for fans of teams in the AL East.
I agree, I’d much rather save that 16 million to sign free agents next year, or potentially trade ibanez and pay half his salary in order to make room for dom brown next year…I’d like to see us look into Greinke’s availability since he’s been getting hammered a bit this year…we might be able to get a discounted rate…or even a Gio Gonzalez/Brett Meyers/Carmona/Garza type player.
Uhh, the article said location does not matter, and the option is his only requirement for a trade. But I’ve also heard that can be negotiated. I think there’s so many moving parts to this trade that most of the so called “reports” have been speculation…not legit terms that came out of Oswalt’s mouth (or his agents)
And how the hell could the Rangers not match up on a trade? The money would obviously be a deal breaker, but they have a tonnn of young pitching. Last I checked, the Astros need a tonnn of young pitching…I guess Ed Wade is still holding out for more catching and athletes up the middle
So when they commit all this money to two aces midseason does everyone cry they bought their division or is that solely a Yankees’ thing?
Can we also stop using “Phan” when alluding to the Phillies? It’s obnoxious. It’s right up there with “Dol-Fan” when rooting for Miami in football. We get it, there is no F in Phillies, that doesn’t mean you have to retard the spelling of the english language
I usually see the “bought the division” thing in relation to free agents, not trades…
It’s no more annoying than “The Nation” referring to post-2004 Red Sox fans or any of the 1,000,000 obnoxious things the media use to refer to the Yankees.
mispost, delete me!
I’d really like to try and set the record straight here…Roy Oswalt is a really good guy, a great teammate and an even better competitor. I’m sick of reading comments from fans of other teams bashing him for being over the hill/a crappy guy/a selfish player…that is false. I’ve watched the guy since he broke in back in 2001, so I think I know a thing or two about his demeanor.
As far as his ability goes, I truly believe this year is not an fluke. Last year was the only year of his career he posted an era over 4.00 and the first year he hadn’t thrown 200 innings in like 6 years. I think his biggest problem the last few years was the toxic atmosphere that was the Astros clubhouse under Cecil Cooper. Think about it…would you want to come play for a manager you didn’t believe in, especially when you’re playing terrible? Nope. Brad Mills is a much better manager, and hence Oswalt is having a bounceback year. People talk about his age, but he’s only one year older than Cliff Lee. The difference is that Oswalt has been getting it done a lot longer than he has. By all accounts, he could have won a Cy Young by now based on the stats in some of his previous seasons. He completely owned the Cardinals in ’05 to win the NLCS MVP (he’s not new to postseason success). And his stuff is still there
The only reason I can see for not wanting this guy is b/c you can’t fit his salary into your payroll…which is obviously understandable. But considering AJ Burnett, John Lackey and Derek Lowe are making more money over the same time frame, his contract is far from an albatross. He’s pitching well now, it’s not far fetched to see him pitch well next season, or even the next. Serious question, would you rather pay Oswalt $38 million for the next 2 and a half years, or Cliff Lee $120 mil for the next 6? Personally, despite Cliff Lee’s recent success (and I’m actually a Rangers fan, for the record), the thought of giving him that kind of contract terrifies me. And that’s probably what he’s going to get
Now who gets traded for him is a different topic I’ll debate with you…I just wanted to try and set the record straight on what kind of player you’d be getting
I’m on the fence. I didn’t buy into the “Oswalt is a bad guy” stuff, I’d be glad to see the Phils improve the rotation, I just don’t want to see them give up TOO much…and from the “Drayton needs a package he can brag about” quotes, it seems it may take a “too much” package to get him.
He’s not a bad guy by any stretch of the word. He just can’t stand not getting his way. Everything you read about him backs that up. If you let Roy O do things his way he’s everything you want in a baseball player. He just hasn’t gotten his way since 2006…
He’s still a Diva, you just made excuses for him, but the rest of the post was right on. His attitude was as much of a problem as Coop was last year. Hell, some would even argue Coops biggest problem was Roy O (I wouldn’t go that far).
His trade demands and attitudes only lowered his value and added fuel to the fire and we’re exactly what I expected from him after running his mouth all year last season. As a die-hard Astros fan that used to call Roy O his favorite player, I’m very disappointed by his actions and words to the point I don’t count myself as a fan anymore. At least Berkman can man up and not throw people under the bus when things don’t go his way (or request a trade). Roy O could’ve been the next Nolan Ryan to this team if he handled this exit better, now he’s just JD or Shane Reynolds with better stats.
It all started with his pitch to contact idea, planted by Phil Garner. His numbers took a dip then his attitude did well before Coop got there. He stops pitching to contact this season (makes public comments to that effect) and magically his ERA and peripherals come back towards his averages.
He’s a baby who could’ve fixed his pitching problems with a little self-reflection, not running a manager out of town then requesting a trade the next year. That’s childish…
First, are you telling me that if you were Oswalt you wouldn’t try to get your option picked up? He’s said it wouldn’t let that hold it up but he’s also said that he wants it picked up. If I rightfully earned it then I’d push for it to get picked up and if it doesn’t then it doesn’t. Might as well make the money I earned. I’d also try to control where I go if I have the power to be able to do that. Why not? Do what’s best for you and your family.
Plus I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if his agent is behind that. I work in film where agents are heavily involved and those are the types of games they play. Don’t be so naive to think that he’s being a huge diva when you have no idea what’s going on or who is saying what.
Second, you think he has an attitude problem and is a bad guy? The man is a 7-time Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his community service efforts. He also did tons of stuff for the south when Katrina hit. His hometown was also torn to bits by a tornado not long ago and he was at the forefront of helping to get the town back on its feet.
If he’s such a big diva please give me some other examples of why he’s such a bad guy and don’t talk about Cooper. The entire team hated Cooper. You’re ridiculous. Roy has always been an out of the spotlight player.
All trade rumors and things are taken completely out of context. The only times it’s wrong is when someone pulls a Manny.
Agree. I don’t think Oswalt is a bad guy, I just don’t think I want to see JA Happ traded away.
Can’t blame you there. But I think it’s your 1B prospect holding things up with us before Happ or the money or anything else. I can just see it.
Wade – “So you want my best player but you don’t want to give up either of your top prospects”
Amaro – “Brown and Singleton are untouchable”
Wade – “No”
That’s probably the way it’s gone down…but adding Singleton to Happ (and every rumor has said the Astros want FOUR guys) makes the trade pretty darn close to the price of Halladay…and Oswalt’s good, but he’s not Halladay.
The Phils also got the below-market contract and $6m in the Halladay deal.
Clarification: I’m a Rangers fan, but I live in Houston. I grew up there following the Stros, moved to the Dallas/FW area for 5 yrs for school, and moved back a few months ago for work. Hence being a Rangers fan, but I’ve followed Oswalt forever
Not that anybody cares, I just wanted to specify that I know (or at least like to think I know) what I’m talking about with the Stros…and Rangers for that matter
If Ruben Amaro was smart, he’d offer Ryan Howard for Roy Oswalt and see if the Astros were willing to eat that contract. It would give McLane “the return he could brag about” and get the Phillies out of that huge contract. They could move Ibanez to first and promote Brown. The problem is that Amaro would have to admit that the contract he gave Howard was horrible so soon after giving it to him and I don’t think he’d be willing to do that. Whether or not Ed Wade and McLane would be stupid enough to take Howard’s contract is another deal altogether though.
chucktb That is so dumb. do you want the team to get go in the tank?
I really dont see Roy getting traded this year. He wants the all time wins record and he has a lot of money owed when teams just dont want to pick up that kind of cash right now. To top it off we all know it will take a huge haul for Ed Wade to trade his ACE. Thats the key right there, He is the Astros Ace and so they will want to be compensated for one, where as he will be going to a team more likely as the number 2 or even the number 3 starter (see Cardinals)
Hes worth more to the Astros than to other teams right now. He is a great pitcher who would be a huge help in a postseason push but unless some team panics or Ed Wade truly decides that Oswalt needs to go I cant see it happening. I think Roy ends up sticking with the Astros this season, gets the win record and is traded either in the offseason or at the deadline next year.
I agree with you, for the most part.
I wonder, though, how the average HOU fan feels about Oswalt these days. The average fan isn’t exactly rational, and hearing constant reports about the face of your franchise wanting to be traded to one of your biggest rivals has to be frustrating.
You are right about that, probably feels like a slap in the face, I felt the same way win John Smoltz decided to go to Boston over staying with us. It hurts when a legend you have loved for so long abandons you.
I got to say I thing Roy oswalt is a great pitcher but he has gone about this all wrong, should have said he would be willing for a trade if it could help the Astros rebuild, that way he is putting the team first, instead he is saying that he wants a trade so he can be on a winner which is not something a leader should say.
If the Phillies cant swing this deal, they should go after Jorge de la Rosa.
Erm…why. de la Rosa has fairly good stuff, but he’s a flyball pitcher who can’t stay healthy.
If they can’t get Oswalt, I don’t see any other starters immediately available that are demonstrably better than what the Phillies currently have, that fits well into the Phils’ park.
de la rosa has exceptional stuff. not “fairly good.” but i agree, he would be a massive bust in citizens bank park.
Ok, you can classify his stuff as exceptional…but the results never have been.
agreed. this isn’t something new or anything. happens all the time.
Well to me he seems like a streaky kind of guy, numbers dont always look too good. But his second half numbers last year were great! This year he hasnt played enough to judge
this story is starting to get annoying. i don’t see this happening this season. i would rather listen to brett favre contemplate retirement…oh wait
Apparently they pulled Werth shirts and jerseys from CBP.
Today? Because there was a rumor of them doing that during the game yesterday…and it was BS, obviously.
I heard that rumor today and someone I follow on twitter has a friend who works at TJ Maxx and he says they got a shipment from Majestic with Werth jerseys.
Everything we have been hearing about this may be trade is nothing more than negotiation tactics. Either Astros management gets a dose of reality or Roy will continue to pitch in Houston.
What really interests me about Roy Oswalt are his home and road splits. He’s pitched much better away from Minute Maid. In a smaller sample size, his ERA is 2.61 on the road. He averages less walks and more strikeouts on the road then he does at home. Being able to win on the road is a major part of winning championships. I think a change of scenery and getting back into a playoff race will really energize Roy.
And those are my ramblings for the day. Lmao
Inquiring and getting the deal done are two different things. I imagine the Rangers have inquired on many many players with almost every other team (if not all). They’ve been rumored to be after Oswalt for a while now. I’d love to see them pull it off only if they could take advantage of Ed Wade’s stupidity as a GM or Uncle Drayton’s ignorance of baseball.
I would love for the Rangers to somehow pick up Oswalt. It makes sense as insurance if Cliff Lee won’t resign. And the fact remains that the Rangers still have the pieces to make it happen AND stay within budget. If the Ranger pick up Oswalt, I’m pretty sure they could get him without having to pick up the 2012 option, which he only insisted upon when he dropped the preferred team list.
Agreed. Getting Oswalt and maybe a RH 1B would be major pieces of the puzzle. I really think if the Rangers can make the World Series this season…or at least get to the ALCS…then Lee can be convinced to re-sign (assuming the ownership situation is resolved by October). If they had Oswalt too…money might be an issue, but Oswalt may only be around in MLB for 1-2 more seasons based on what he has said about retiring.
Well what do you call shinning laser pointers directed at the opposing batter and genius fans running out on he field only to get tazed infront of 45,000 fans?
There’s a big button that reads, “Reply”. It’s on the right. People might understand what you’re trying to say if you used it.
Right now it looks like a crazy stream-of-consciousness exercise in here…
Every team has fans who are aholes and idiots! The Phillies fans are passionate about there sports teams and boo weak effort and really bad play, its a blue collar town and they pay there hard earned money to see them play. 90 consecutive sell-outs… I’ve been to 20 different ball parks and see many of Phillies road games. The visiting fans were mostly friendly outside of like i said a few aholes and idiots, the one thing i noticed is they are not as passionate.
Howard since 2006 has led the majors in HR and RBI’s… Back to Oswalt, the Phillies ownership forced Amaro to trade Lee for bad prospects because they didn’t wanna spend the extra 9mil. If they need to makeup for that by acquiring Oswalt. A rotation of Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt at the top end will put the Phillies back in the World Series.