Roy Oswalt Plans to Accept Trade to Phillies
Well, it was no secret. News had been flying around for weeks that the Phillies were looking to land an ace at the deadline and that Roy Oswalt of the Astros was the first on their wish list.
The Phillies and the Astros were working on a deal for days, even weeks. The only obstacle for the Astros to pull the trigger on this one was that Oswalt had a no-trade clause and could veto the trade if he wanted. It was believed that Oswalt would have preferred to have gone to a mid-western team, in particular the St. Louis Cardinals.
Oswalt hasn’t officially waived his no-trade clause yet as he is weighing his options. He has spoken with friends familiar with the situation in Philadelphia and according to a source in the Houston Astros he is ready to accept the trade.
It is unknown right now whether the Astros or the Phillies offered Oswalt financial incentives to drop his veto rights and accept a trade. Oswalt still has time left on his contract past this season and the source reported that the Astros will pay $11 million of the $23 million guaranteed to the 32 year-old pitcher next season.
According to sources, the Astros will receive J.A Happ and two prospects in return for their ace.
Those prospects have not been identified yet but sources have said the Astros have been pushing hard to land first baseman Jonathan Singleton. Singleton is the Phillies top batting prospect. He is currently playing at Class A Lakewood in the South Atlantic League where he is hitting .312 on the season with 12 home runs.
The Astros have had a very tough season as the team got off to a 14-27 start, the worst in the National League. It was at that point in May that Oswalt asked for a trade. So far this season, his record is a dismal 6-12, but his ERA is only 3.42. He is still a great pitcher and joining a team like the Phillies might bring his win/loss record back up in a hurry.
Certainly adding Oswalt gives the Phillies a much needed ace at pitcher. The team struggled through the first half of the season as they were third in the NL East at the All-Star break. Now the Phillies have rolled so far this month and have won their last seven games. They are in second place in the division and are showing the Braves that they’ll have to stay on their toes if they plan to dethrone the Phillies.
Roy Oswalt will be a big help for the Phillies. He’s another ace in a pitching staff that will now be stacked with some of the best pitchers in the game. Oswalt is first among active players in the National League with 143 career wins. Since he entered the league in 2001 he has torn through the league with a 3.24 ERA and 1,593 strikeouts. He provides immediate help to the Phillies and he wouldn’t just be a rental player for the rest of the season. He is still under contract for two more seasons and the Phillies are happy to have him.
The Phillies have been the front-runners in the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes and they’re about to be rewarded for their patience. In the end, Oswalt just wanted to go to a winning team. He wants a World Series ring and the closest he got was in 2005 when the Astros went to the World Series before being swept by the Chicago White Sox. With the Phillies, he may now have a good chance at getting a ring in the near future.
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