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Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Benjamin Grimm Jul 29 2010 06:37 AM

Report: Phillies have deal in place for Roy Oswalt Drew Silva Jul. 29, 2010, 12:44 AM ET Report: Phillies have deal in place for Roy Oswalt According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston, the Phillies and Astros have a deal in place involving Roy Oswalt and are waiting for the 32-year-old right-hander to decide whether he wants to waive his no-trade clause. Berman writes that the two sides "have agreed on the amount of money" that the Astros will eat from Oswalt's contract and the players that the Phillies will be sending to Houston. If the report is true and the deal is only pending Oswalt's approval, our guess is that he goes. The Astros are a lost franchise and currently reside in fifth place in the National League Central. They need him to take his hefty contract elsewhere, and he'd be wise to jump at the opportunity to play for a contender. Oswalt has a 3.42 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 129 innings this season. He is owed about $5 million for the rest of this season, $16 million for 2011 and he also carries a $16 million option for 2012. He wants that option picked up by the team that acquires him and that may be causing the hold-up. Oswalt will be 34 at the start of the 2012 season and he turns 35 during it. His numbers haven't declined this season -- in fact, he's seen a bit of a resurgence -- but the Phillies probably don't want to pay for former Houston general manager Tim Purpura's mistakes. He made a whole lot of them during his short stay with the club.

metirish Jul 29 2010 06:39 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

For a resurgent team he's a nice addition, should make for a great race between the Phillies and the Braves.

MFS62 Jul 29 2010 07:22 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

The Phillies already have $135+ Million locked up for next year: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key= ... utput=html You know what? Nobody seems to mind that they will be adding Oswalt's salary. My question is, will they also offer Werth a contract extension? Later

bmfc1 Jul 29 2010 07:29 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Meanwhile, Joel Sherman says that the Mets won't get Ted Lily. Some teams improve, some teams are stagnant (that's not an endorsement of "Zambrano for Kazmir" but doing something to get a 5th starter).

Frayed Knot Jul 29 2010 07:30 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Phils now adding the high-salary that they supposedly couldn't take on when they swapped out Lee in advance of adding Halladay. A cynic would say they just should have kept Lee all along but they claimed the high price and wanting to re-stock their system prevented that. Be interesting to see if this addition cost them more in prospects than what they got for Lee last winter.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 07:31 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Trading for another starter, a la Ted Lilly, would likely hurt more than it helps.

metirish Jul 29 2010 07:36 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Edgy DC wrote: Trading for another starter, a la Ted Lilly, would likely hurt more than it helps. I agree, for me he's not a difference maker , not on this Mets team at least. I don't know that there is any one player on the market that would make the difference.

bmfc1 Jul 29 2010 07:37 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Edgy DC wrote: Trading for another starter, a la Ted Lilly, would likely hurt more than it helps. That's a reasonable position. And while he's not a "difference maker", he's an improvement (again, others might differ). I'd rather see Lily than Takahashi as a SP (I like him in the 'pen) or another Tim Redding/Brian Lawrence type.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 29 2010 07:37 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

I think the young guy we get for F Rodriguez, whoever it is, is gonna be huge.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 29 2010 07:38 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

I don't see the point to the Mets getting Lilly either.

bmfc1 Jul 29 2010 07:40 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think the young guy we get for F Rodriguez, whoever it is, is gonna be huge. JCL: I was thinking that way, too. Tampa?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 29 2010 07:42 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Oh, the Mets should do that, but won't in a million years.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 07:44 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Lilly's an improvment if we don't factor in the cost of bringing him to town. If they're going to make a move, it's got to be for offense.

bmfc1 Jul 29 2010 07:49 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Edgy DC wrote: If they're going to make a move, it's got to be for offense. A worthwhile thought but Howie recently talked about how the Mets can't improve the offense because they're locked in, perhaps unwillingly, at each position. E.g., I'd love to get more offense at 2d but they can't move Castillo. They certainly could use more offense in LF but they're paying Bay a zillion dollars to do that. Is Omar creative enough to swing a deal for Prince Fielder (and would you be upset to move Ike)?

Benjamin Grimm Jul 29 2010 07:50 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Edgy DC wrote: If they're going to make a move, it's got to be for offense. At what position, though? I think the most upgradable positions are second base, catcher, and first base. (Not that I'd give up on Davis, but letting him take a back seat to an Adam Dunn for a few months might be one way to juice the offense for the remainder of 2010.) There's outfield, too, if it looks like Bay is going to be down for a while, but that's a hard call to make between now and Saturday.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 07:59 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

bmfc1 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: If they're going to make a move, it's got to be for offense. A worthwhile thought but Howie recently talked about how the Mets can't improve the offense because they're locked in, perhaps unwillingly, at each position. E.g., I'd love to get more offense at 2d but they can't move Castillo. They certainly could use more offense in LF but they're paying Bay a zillion dollars to do that. Is Omar creative enough to swing a deal for Prince Fielder (and would you be upset to move Ike)? 1) Howie doesn't know everything. 2) They're certianly not locked in at second, catcher, or first. 3) They're a lot less locked in in left with Bay dazzled. 4) Positions can open up as part of the trade package --- as you say, giving up Ike in a Prince Fielder deal. (I'm upset to move anybody. I hate trades.) Is Omar creative enough? I don't see where that's an issue. He packaged his young slugging firstbaseman when he traded for Delgado. It's not really lack of creativity that keeps a team from dealing, but liking what they've got more than what's being offered. I suppose it's possible to wheel and deal until you've swapped a paper clip for a house, but that sort of thing doesn't happen between now and the deadliine. He's certainly demonstrated that he's williing to do any sort of trade.

The Second Spitter Jul 29 2010 08:00 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Oh, the Mets should do that, but won't in a million years. I'd be the first person to show that goofy-eyed fat fuck to the door.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 08:02 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

The press and everybody else would climb over each other to remind the Mets that not having a name-brand closer down the stretch in 2007 is what did them in and the organizaiton has been a joke, broke, and up in smoke ever since. Never. In a million. Years.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 29 2010 08:10 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 29 2010 08:11 AM

Edgy DC wrote: Lilly's an improvment if we don't factor in the cost of bringing him to town. If they're going to make a move, it's got to be for offense. The cost of bringing him to town-- provided Omar doesn't overpay-- should be at least partially offset by the draft compensation he should bring next offseason (which could be type A, given how weak the SP market is for this offseason). My problem with bringing him in is that, as AA's Eno Sarris points out, he may not even be an upgrade, really. (FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching, deriving an expected-ERA-type number based on a pitcher's walks/strikeouts/home runs, essentially ERA assuming league-average defense/timing for every pitcher; xFIP= Expected FIP, or FIP that normalizes for wackiness with HR/FB rate) Starting at the surface, Tak-san is pitching to a 4.25 FIP and 4.34 xFIP by striking out 8.11 per nine and walking 3.49 per nine. But those numbers include his time in the pen, so as a starter, he's got a 5.02 FIP and 4.72 xFIP while showing a 6.75 K/9 and 2.91 BB/9. He's been pretty luck neutral, too, as neither his BABIP (.312) nor strand rate (71.8%) are far from the league benchmarks in those categories (.300 and 70%). Those results shouldn't be too hard for Lilly to surpass - in a normal year, given his career 4.35 xFIP. This year, though, he's got a 4.55 xFIP (4.62 FIP) on the back of the worst strikeout rate of his career (6.55 K/9) despite his still-excellent control (2.10 BB/9, 2.81 BB/9 was his National League worst). So right now, the results don't show a clear enough upgrade to burn a prospect on, perhaps, but let's dig a little deeper... ... and look at their whiff rates. Lilly is getting his career lowest swinging strike percentage (7.6%), while Takahashi has a nicer number even as a starter (10.2%). The average this year is 8.4%, so we have one guy above the mean, and one guy below. Somewhat surprising actually.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 29 2010 08:10 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

The Second Spitter wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Oh, the Mets should do that, but won't in a million years. I'd be the first person to show that goofy-eyed fat fuck to the door. That's complete bullshit, I'd be there way before you.

The Second Spitter Jul 29 2010 08:15 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Oh, the Mets should do that, but won't in a million years. I'd be the first person to show that goofy-eyed fat fuck to the door. That's complete bullshit, I'd be there way before you. Hey goofy-eyed fat fuck, The door is this way: ----------------------------------> See, I beat you.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 08:18 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Be funny if he got replaced in the pen by Brian Bruney.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 29 2010 08:20 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

That would be as rich as a save-rule capitalizing junkballer who can't command his fastball.

MFS62 Jul 29 2010 08:20 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

This is getting tough to follow, with lots of names being thrown around. Which goofy-eyed fat fuck are you climbing all over yourselves to show to the door? Later

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 08:24 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: My problem with bringing him in is that, I suspected drilling down would weaken the Lilly proposition. Thanks for that.

The Second Spitter Jul 29 2010 08:26 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

MFS62 wrote: This is getting tough to follow, with lots of names being thrown around. Which goofy-eyed fat fuck are you climbing all over yourselves to show to the door? Later The one that's getting paid $11.5M a year to blow saves.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 29 2010 08:30 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

The Second Spitter wrote: MFS62 wrote: This is getting tough to follow, with lots of names being thrown around. Which goofy-eyed fat fuck are you climbing all over yourselves to show to the door? Later The one that's getting paid $11.5M a year to blow saves. $17.5M after next year! Aces!

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 29 2010 08:30 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Maybe we should just have him killed.

The Second Spitter Jul 29 2010 08:57 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: This is getting tough to follow, with lots of names being thrown around. Which goofy-eyed fat fuck are you climbing all over yourselves to show to the door? Later The one that's getting paid $11.5M a year to blow saves. $17.5M after next year! Aces! So you have: GEFF + Cashitto = $23.5M for 2011. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, Omar.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 29 2010 08:58 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Was Frankie's deal for three years? Or four? (It's the "after next year" part that has me confused.) I thought his contract expired after 2011.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 29 2010 09:02 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

It was a 3 year deal with a vesting 4th year that's triggered if he's still breathing after 3

bmfc1 Jul 29 2010 09:02 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 29 2010 09:08 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Maybe we should just have him killed. You'd think that would save money but the Wilpons would give the remainder of his contract to his estate and spend to build a giant "75" in the Rotunda.

The Second Spitter Jul 29 2010 09:04 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Had a quick look at Cot's. It's: 2011: $11.5M 2012: $17.5M (or $3.5M buy-out)

Benjamin Grimm Jul 29 2010 09:07 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Hopefully Omar's successor will wisely opt for the $3.5 million buy-out.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 09:21 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Omar was smart enough to put it in there.

smg58 Jul 29 2010 10:09 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

J.A. Happ is just getting back from an injury, but keep in mind that he had a better year than Oswalt last year. John Singleton is an 18-year-old with a .312/.418/.526 line in A ball. There's at least one more player involved, but that's already quite a bit more than they got for Lee.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 29 2010 01:31 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Agent: Oswalt says OK for trade to Phillies By BERNARDO FALLAS Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle July 29, 2010, 2:20PM James Nielsen Chronicle Astros righthander Roy Oswalt has agreed to waive his no-trade clause and accept a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies, his agent, Bob Garber, confirmed Thursday. The deal is pending Oswalt passing a physical. The Astros are expected to receive pitcher J.A. Happ and at least two prospects from the Phillies. The Astros presented Oswalt with the trade proposal on Thursday morning. Oswalt, under contract through 2011 with a 2012 option, asked the Astros to consider trading him to a contender more than two months ago. From the beginning, Oswalt stated that he is seeking a deal that is mutually beneficial. The Astros are also expected to pick up some of the money owed to Oswalt, currently some $22 million through 2011. As is his policy, Astros general manager Ed Wade declined comment when reached by telephone Thursday morning. Multiple efforts to reach Oswalt and agent Bob Garber via text message and telephone have been unsuccessful. Oswalt has a $16 million option for 2012, but it is unclear at this time whether the Phillies intend to pick it up. The Astros have been taking more phone calls for Oswalt as the trade deadline approaches. The cash-strapped Texas Rangers also made an offer for Oswalt, a person with knowledge of the negotiations has confirmed. Oswalt has spent his entire 10-year major league career with the Astros, in the process becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in team history. He went 143-82 in nearly 10 seasons with the Astros. The Astros picked Oswalt in the 23rd round of the 1996 amateur draft.

Ashie62 Jul 29 2010 01:39 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Maybe we should just have him killed. Exactly..

smg58 Jul 29 2010 03:04 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

So it looks like the primary prospect in this deal is not Singleton but speedster Anthony Gose. In the bizarre synchronicity department, Gose is rumored to be shipped out immediately to Toronto for Brett Wallace, who had previously been acquired from Oakland in exchange for Michael Taylor, who the Jays shipped out immediately after acquiring him from Philadelphia in the Halladay deal.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 29 2010 03:22 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

smg58 wrote: So it looks like the primary prospect in this deal is not Singleton but speedster Anthony Gose. In the bizarre synchronicity department, Gose is rumored to be shipped out immediately to Toronto for Brett Wallace, who had previously been acquired from Oakland in exchange for Michael Taylor, who the Jays shipped out immediately after acquiring him from Philadelphia in the Halladay deal. That makes four teams for former first-round pick Wallace in less than a year. (He initially went to Oakland in the Holliday trade last year.)

Frayed Knot Jul 29 2010 05:31 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Wallace is the guy with supposedly the biggest bat in that draft but also an equally big butt and folks were wondering about his defensive prowess before he was even drafted.

The Second Spitter Jul 29 2010 05:57 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Edgy DC wrote: Omar was smart enough to put it in there. Not like there was a proliferation of GMs willing to give Fatso a fourth year to begin with -- I can't even recall who the Mets were bidding against at the time.

Edgy DC Jul 29 2010 08:24 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

That's not really my point. You don't have to look far to see my antipathy to signing big contracts for big-time brand-name closers. My point being that I don't think it's worthwhile to worry about Minaya's willingness to exercise a buyout he created in the first place. Or to root for him to be replaced because a replacement is more likely to exercise it. More nettlesome is that that option has a vesting clause, based on games finished. So those days when Rodriguez finishes up a blowout to get his work in are appearances that may well work against the Mets' interests. 2012 option becomes guaranteed with: [list][*]55 games finished in 2011, and[/*:m] [*]100 games finished in 2010-11, and[/*:m] [*]doctors declare Rodriguez healthy after 2011(?!)[/*:m][/list:u] With 40 games finished through less than 2/3 of the season, he's totally on a healthy pace to meet his mark. Nothing wrong with hanging that one on Minaya. And Manuel!

Gwreck Jul 29 2010 10:31 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

The Second Spitter wrote: Not like there was a proliferation of GMs willing to give Fatso a fourth year to begin with -- I can't even recall who the Mets were bidding against at the time. Nobody, really. I believe the perception at the time was that it was a buyer's market and Omar actually got Frankie for less than it might have cost in other years -- compare to the Francisco Cordero deal with the Reds (4 years, $46 million, signed after the 2007 season).

Ashie62 Jul 29 2010 10:35 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Frayed Knot wrote: Wallace is the guy with supposedly the biggest bat in that draft but also an equally big butt and folks were wondering about his defensive prowess before he was even drafted. He might be somewhere between Elijah Dukes and Toe Nash.

Frayed Knot Jul 29 2010 10:43 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Totally different kind of guy then them two. The problem with those guys was the part about them being considered borderline criminals - and by that I mean you can remove the 'borderline' part. Wallace isn't (at least as far as I know) a bad guy, he was just already big and slow in his early 20's which led peeps to question what he'll be like later on. But coming out of that draft his bat was considered as good as any and also as close to ML-ready as you can get.

Edgy DC Jul 30 2010 06:21 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

More of a Prince Fielder parallel perhaps.

smg58 Jul 30 2010 06:53 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

So the Astros pair up a big bat with a dubious glove and an all-glove, no-bat shortstop. Interesting. The key to this deal for Houston is Happ, though. If he's 100% by the start of next year, the trade will work out well for them. The people who've called this deal lopsided have forgotten that Happ's ERA was below 3 last year, while Oswalt's was above 4.

Frayed Knot Jul 30 2010 06:56 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

smg58 wrote: So the Astros pair up a big bat with a dubious glove and an all-glove, no-bat shortstop. The acquisition of Wallace leads to speculation that Lance Berkman could also be packing before tomorrow night.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 30 2010 09:24 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

More of a Prince Fielder parallel perhaps. Wallace doesn't have quite the power, and doesn't walk nearly as much (at least at this point). More like Aubrey Huff/Pete O'Brien in Fielder's body. smg58 wrote: The key to this deal for Houston is Happ, though. If he's 100% by the start of next year, the trade will work out well for them. The people who've called this deal lopsided have forgotten that Happ's ERA was below 3 last year, while Oswalt's was above 4. Missing few bats (sub-7 Ks/9, the lowest of his career) and putting up a really low opponent-BABIP, Happ was a very, VERY lucky pitcher to post that ERA last year. Unless something changes with him, last year is probably something like his absolute ceiling, and doesn't figure to be a terribly sustainable one at that.

Edgy DC Jul 30 2010 09:30 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: More of a Prince Fielder parallel perhaps. Wallace doesn't have quite the power, and doesn't walk nearly as much (at least at this point). More like Aubrey Huff/Pete O'Brien in Fielder's body. I'm speaking more of how he presented at draft time. The team had to weigh undeniable hitting skills against an undenaibly unathletic frame, and went ahead anyway.

Fman99 Jul 30 2010 10:14 AM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

I'd like to believe that even Omar isn't daft enough to trade some legitimate young talent, like Ike or Josh Thole, for some piece of shit stopgap like Ted Lilly for a team that isn't going ANYWHERE this year.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 30 2010 03:32 PM Re: Houston TV station says Phils have deal in place for Oswalt

Fman99 wrote: I'd like to believe that even Omar isn't daft enough to trade some legitimate young talent, like Ike or Josh Thole, for some piece of shit stopgap like Ted Lilly for a team that isn't going ANYWHERE this year. Reverse jinx? (Or have you joined the "Don't! Stop believing" Club?)