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The big story making the rounds today is that of former Mets GM and ESPN analyst turned Fanhouse blogger, or whatever, Steve Phillips telling WFAN's Mike Francesa if he were the Nationals GM, he'd trade top draft pick and potential phenom Stephen Strasburg for Roy Oswalt's slight and aging frame. Oh, right, and enormous contract. Dan Steinbog, master transcriber that he is, has the pertinent ridiculousness:↵
Roy Oswalt Will Not Be Traded For Stephen Strasburg, But Where Will He Be Going?
↵↵⇥“Absolutely,” Phillips insisted. “I mean, listen, he was a good college pitcher, he’s a good minor league pitcher so far. But if I can get one of the top, what, top 5 starting pitchers in the game today for Strasburg? Because I really, truly, I hope that he could be that guy. I have to tell you, I don’t know that he could be that guy. And with his delivery, I could see the potential of a Mark Prior sort of breakdown.”↵⇥↵⇥“Well, you could be 100 percent right on that,” Francesa allowed. “But right now, the buildup has been so incredible and his minor-league performances have been so incredible, he’s gonna pack your building. You almost, you have to look at him now, you have to at least sample him, because if you’re ever wrong, oh my God.”↵⇥
↵⇥↵⇥“Yeah,” Phillips said. “Yeah. But here’s the thing, I think the likelihood is that they don’t really have that package. If I’m the Astros, I’m asking for Strasburg. And I understand, you’re right, they won’t do it. But that’s the caliber of player I want for Roy Oswalt.”↵⇥
↵↵This is the problem with former executives who get jobs in media: they just talk. They talk and talk and talk without any real semblance of accountability. Sure, Phillips is making the point that a bird, or in this case pitcher, in the hand is worth two in the bush, but nobody in their right mind would ever think the Nationals will trade away Strasburg for anyone, even someone as talented as Oswalt. Sure, the Nats are having a good season, but come on, Steve, that’s really just about the most ridiculous thing ever said. (Well, to be fair, Curt Schilling discussed Strasburg with Josh Elliott on SportsCenter last week, saying, “he’ll immediately potentially be the best pitcher in the game.” Ooh, immediately potentially. That sounds definitive…perhaps.)↵↵Back to Oswalt, we know he isn’t going to the Nationals for Strasburg, but where is he going? ↵
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↵Before we get to that, let's look at some of the Oswalt backlash since he announced that he wants out of Houston. Fans seem upset with their ace, which doesn't sit well with John Royal of the Houston Press:↵
↵↵⇥Roy Oswalt isn’t the bad guy. The bad guy is the person, persons, who let this happen. Like the fans who think Roy Oswalt is at fault. Or the fans who support Drayton McLane. But the ultimate bad guy is Drayton McLane. He’s the one who let this happen.↵↵Ah, Drayton McLane…he isn’t the media’s best friend these days. Richard Justice gets in the most damaging blows to McLane, lambasting the Astros owner over his waffling on whether to rebuild or try to become competitive with what they have:↵↵⇥[The fans] think the Astros are a joke. They think they’re old, bad and boring on the field, and stupid in the front office. Drayton can kid himself, but those empty seats are a referendum on him.↵⇥↵⇥If he wants to make it only about the economy, if that’s why he thinks there are acres of empty seats, that’s either sad or funny. He just seems incapable of dealing in reality.↵⇥
↵⇥↵⇥Drayton has two months to show people he gets it. He talks a lot about leadership. This is a time when the Astros desperately need some.↵⇥
↵↵So, if you believe those reports, the Astros ship is sinking faster than their owner anticipated. Where, then, will Oswalt land? A competitior. That’s what former teammate Andy Pettitte thinks, at least. At this point in the season that is a rather nebulous term. The Mets seemed interested but word is they don’t think they can afford him. The same likely goes for the Phillies. Last month Jayson Stark mentioned that Oswalt would prefer to be sent to Atlanta, St. Louis or Texas. Remember that Oswalt has a no-trade clause and is due $15 million bucks this year – a salary that would obviously be pro-rated after a trade – and $16 million in 2011, with a club option for $16 million in 2012. Also remember that Texas just filed for bankruptcy and, according to Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Braves can’t afford him either. So who does that leave? It leave St. Louis. It makes the most sense, but will McLane trade him in the division like that and will the Cardinals be willing to add that much to their payroll when they habitually find a pitcher like Kyle Loshe off the scrap heap and rejuvenate his career instead?↵↵Who else, then? The Dodgers? Could you imagine if it’s the Yankees or the Red Sox? Hey, he does want to go to a competitor. No matter what team it is, let’s agree on this: whichever team ends up with Oswalt will likely ask the Astros to pay part if not most of his salary, meaning that McLane could go from paying his ace to be one of the only good players on his team, to paying him to go try and win a title elsewhere. That’s probably not going to fill those empty seats anytime soon.↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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