After days upon days of talking and trying to work out a million different ideas, it seems the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies have finally settled on a trade that will send ace starter Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia. Says Mark Berman:
Astros, Phillies Reportedly Have Deal In Place To Trade Roy Oswalt To Philadelphia
Major League baseball sources told FOX 26 Sports the Houston Astros have a deal in place to trade pitcher Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies if Oswalt agrees to waive his no-trade clause.
Sources told FOX 26 the Astros have approached Oswalt. He is aware of the deal that is on the table and the club is waiting for his response.
The Astros and Phillies have, according to the report, agreed on both players and how much of Oswalt’s hefty contract each team will cover, leaving the fate of the deal in Oswalt’s hands. And, just as Oswalt requested, he’s got some time to mull it over before Saturday afternoon’s deadline.
Oswalt has posted a 3.42 ERA over 129 innings in 20 starts, striking out 120 while walking 34. One of the top arms in the National League, he's no stranger to pitching in a hitter-friendly environment similar to Philadelphia's home ballpark, and he'd serve as an enormous upgrade to the Phillies rotation betwteen Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels. Halladay has been an ace and Hamels has pitched like a legitimate second starter, but the team has had trouble getting consistency from anyone else, and with Jamie Moyer likely out for the rest of the year, they really needed a move.
The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and currently stand 3.5 behind Atlanta in the NL East, and 2.5 behind San Francisco for the Wild Card. Oswalt's next start was scheduled for Friday, so if he makes a fast decision and approves the trade, he could make an immediate impact.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates, and also keep an eye on The Crawfish Boxes, The Good Phight, SB Nation Houston, and SB Nation Philly for more.
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