Discussions Begin Over Where Roy Oswalt Would Allow Himself To Be Traded

Roy Oswalt has already said that he’d like to be traded to a winner, so, naturally, with his being a big name, rumors are starting to fly. Problem? Roy Oswalt has a full no-trade clause.

Ed Price hears the following:

Lest anyone suggest that the report out of Chicago was untruthful, here’s Richard Justice to pour vinegar in your wounds:

Roy Oswalt, as a $2m pitcher, would bring the Astros back a bounty. Roy Oswalt, as a $16m pitcher, isn’t nearly as valuable, so for those hoping that Houston would be able to re-stock a troubled farm system by dealing its ace, you might want to reconsider your expectations.

And now, on top of all that, one of those names apparently wants to be traded.

Leaving aside the curiosity of why this story’s coming from Chicago, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Oswalt is 32, and he hasn’t pitched in the playoffs since 2005. Like anyone, he wants to win, and he can probably read the writing on the wall and understand that the Astros won’t be winning any time soon.