9:00pm: The Astros are not looking to trade Oswalt now, according to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Dodgers are not in active talks to trade for the right-hander at this point.
8:15pm: The Rangers are content with their current pitchers and have limited financial flexibility, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. GM Jon Daniels told Sullivan that the club is not looking for pitching – at least for now.
"That could always change," Daniels said. "You've got to be open-minded about adding an impact pitcher."
8:34am: Prepare yourself for a couple months of Roy Oswalt rumors. Today's batch:
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Commissioner's Office would have to approve an increased payroll for the Rangers to take on Oswalt. Such approval would likely displease other teams.
- Olney tweets that he's in agreement with colleague Jayson Stark that the Twins are worth monitoring in the Oswalt derby. The Twins have a solid rotation of Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Francisco Liriano, and Kevin Slowey. They'd be better-served pursuing a third baseman.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke to Oswalt's friend Andy Pettitte, who said, "Roy doesn't want to guess. He would only leave to take a real shot at the World Series." Sherman says Oswalt also craves stability. Sherman does not feel the Mets are currently a viable option, but there is no clear contender with the need and the money. In a blog post, Sherman favors the Angels for Oswalt.
- Bernardo Fallas and Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle analyze eight possible suitors.
Looking at Fallas and Levine’s article and seeing the Braves on there, and seeing the reason “why not” just made me chuckle. No way the Braves have the best rotation in baseball.
They didn’t say the Braves have THE best rotation in baseball.
They said they have ONE of The best rotations in baseball, which is true.
Sorry, I read it wrong.
It was one of the best until Jurrjens hit the DL. Picked him up in my fantasy league though, waiting for him to heal up.
From what I heard, he’ll be back in mid-June to late-June.
I realize a lot of people hate on the Mets but they make a lot of sense for the guy. They’re an NL team who have the salary to take on Oswalt’s contract. And we all know that if the Astros trade Roy, it’s a salary dump, so the Mets can afford to absorb his contract. Plus, the Mets are in desperate need of help in their rotation and a Wild Card birth isn’t out of the question. Half the reason the Mets are where they currently are is because they have no pitching. Their offense is starting to kick in and the return of Beltran (whenever that may be) will only help.
The addition of Oswalt would make their top 3 in the rotation: Santana, Pelfrey, Oswalt….that’s pretty darn good.
Let me remind you, Mets don’t do anything civilized. So, Oswalt won’t be a Met, especially with Mr. Omar as the GM. And I don’t think the Mets will have the pieces to make a deal. And they should just sell of their pieces and start from scratch. Replenish the minor leagues with talent.
The Mets, surprisingly enough, have a fairly decent farm. Over the past few years they’ve made trades/signings to help it flourish. I wouldn’t say it’s in the top but it’s definitely middle of the pack and rising. I’d be fine with passing on Oswalt as I think the Mets are going to make a big push for Lee this off season and, between the two, I’d rather have Lee. Assuming there was a choice.
I find it amusing to put so much stock in Lee, who has only had 3 good seasons. Yes, they were solid, but Roy 0 blows Lee out of the water and will be cheaper. He pitches great out of the number 2-3 spot. I just don’t see a Mets approval happening. Roy 0 hands down, any day of the week.
Just have to laugh when I see these comments from reporters and fans about how there’s no way Oswalt is going to the Mets, how he doesn’t want to play for the Mets, etc. What pure, unadulterated crapola. SAME EXACT THING was said about Johan Santana, he wears #57 for the Mets. SAME EXACT THING was said about Jason Bay, he wears #44 for the Mets. SAME EXACT THING was said about Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran a few years ago.
I’m not saying he’ll sign with the Mets, what I am saying is if they want him badly enough — and they should — then they’ll get him. And all this talk will, once again, wind up being just that — talk. I’m the first to admit the Mets front office makes a lot of bonehead moves — from player development to handling injuries to signing players and making trades. But when they want somebody they get him, simple as that. Wanting him badly enough to make the move is a separate issue.
“what I am saying is if they want him badly enough — and they should — then they’ll get him”
Oswalt has a full no-trade clause, so it’s not as simple as they’ll get him if they want him. If he wants to go to a true contender why would he go to the Mets? Better off staying around until July and see which teams actually have a chance at the playoffs and accept a trade to one of them.
Santana had a full no-trade and everyone was saying the Mets had, at best, a wayyy outside shot. He, like Oswalt, was in total control and countless reporters and radio guys were saying, flat-out, that Santana didn’t want to go to the Mets. This is all posturing. I agree this will likely drag out til July.For all I know the Mets could be 20 games out by then. But if they’re in it and he could be the difference maker (Santana/Oswalt/Pelfrey ain’t too shabby), all I’m saying is they have as much chance of getting him as anyone, maybe better than most people think. If the Astros aren’t interested in paying any of his salary (which they’ve said but it could also be posturing), then that eliminates a lot of teams, but not the Mets. Money is not an issue, willingness is.I personally think the Angels may be the best fit for everyone involved. They have the money, they’re a perennial WS contender, they have people they can trade and they clearly miss John Lackey. All I’m saying is the speculation about the Mets vis a vis Oswalt has been heard many times before and has — more often than not — been completely wrong.
There is a difference, Johan got what 140m+ to accept the trade, Beltran/Bay/Pedro also got paid to go to the Mets. Oswalt has no financial benefit from accepting a trade. He’s not getting traded and getting an extension, so he said he wants to go to a contender, if he doesnt see the team as a playoff team he has no reason to accept the trade,
“Money is not an issue, willingness is.”
I dont think you can really say that either.
Zack — You said Oswalt’s no-trade clause would be some kind of impediment to the Mets getting him. I simply said the same was said of Santana. Anyone who got Santana would have to pay him, it was totally up to him who that team would be. What he was paid has nothing to do with anything. The issue I raised was all the talk that the Mets won’t get Oswalt, because that was exactly the same talk about Santana, Beltran, Bay and Pedro — and the Mets got all of them.
As for money not being an issue whereas willingness IS this issue, that’s the way it has always been with the Mets. Example: the Mets wanted to sign Beltran and they did. They didn’t want to sign Vladimir Guererro — who was available to them and wanted far less than Beltran wound up getting — but they didn’t. If the Mets want a player they’ll pony up the money for him; our issue as fans of the Mets has always been a lack of willingness to pursue a player we believe would help them. I, for one anyway, believe Oswalt is such a player.
The NTC is an issue for every team, not just the Mets, it’s about which ever team is looking to trade for him, if they are a .500 team or not in reach of the playoffs, chances are that Oswalt isnt going to accept the trade.
You’re original statement was that if the Mets want him, they’ll get him, and that’s false. If the Mets want him, but are .500 on July 31st, they aren’t getting him.
My point was the no-trade was not an issue for the Mets and Santana, and I seriously doubt it will be an issue if they’ve got a shot at the post-season and he can be a difference maker. The notion that they’d have to have a legitimate shot goes without saying.
Part of the problem is that most teams who are contending don’t need him. Plus, he’s got a rather inflated contract over the next two years, owed $31 million and a club option for a third year at $12 mil I believe?
Teams that need him aren’t winning their divisions right now (Phillies, Rays, etc) they’re teams that are in the Wild Card race. And it’s a matter of being able to take on his salary. Plus, personally, if I were Oswalt, I’d want to stay in the NL.
I’m not sure if Cincy can afford him but they could use him as could LA, NYM, Cubs, Nats. But, it’s a matter of salary, IMO.
Although I have been advocating for an Oswalt trade for some time now, I feel it needs to be mentioned a bit more often that Drayton McLane does not usually handle it this way. Keep in mind that the Astros themselves are in just as much of the “Oswalt Sweepstakes” as any other team.
Agree, amidst all this talk about a trade is the very real possibility that he just stays put. The Astros have a history of making good runs in the second half and if they can get a little closer and not really fall out of contention, and if they’re not overwhelmed with an offer, he could easily just stay in Houston.
Amd my thoughts are confirmed…
I think Oswalt makes perfect sense for the Twins, he would give them a more proven starter heading into the second half and hopefully postseason. They money is troubling though and I am sure the Pohlads would have to be convinced the Twins would be making a deep playoff run.
Too many problems here. Who do the Twins send to the bullpen? Is Oswalt really an upgrade (in the AL mind you) over any of them to justify going to the Pohlad’s and asking for more money?
Jack Morris was the last player the Twins went “over budget” to go get, with the Pohlad’s blessing (to my knowledge).
Tim nailed it. If the Twins are going to go $15m over budget, there’s alot more value they could get for that money than an SP – namely, a third baseman.
I do not get why the Twins are repeatedly mentioned as a possible destination for Oswalt. They have a fine rotation (as mentioned above) plus Brian Duensing as a 6 starter. They already expanded payroll to around 100 million – it would be strange for them to take on another 15 million each year. That would mean that they basically doubled their payroll in one season. Lastly, what prospects do they have to complete the trade? They are not going to part with Aaron Hicks or Kyle Gibson (their last two first round picks), and the Astros will have no interest in Wilson Ramos (since they have Jason Castro as their catcher of the future). So, who would the Twins give up to get Oswalt?
Prepare yourself few a couple months of Roy Oswalt rumors.
I don’t see any ‘report a typo’ link sooo..
few = for.
Sorry for the very lenghty post but here it goes:
I want to say first that I find it highly unlikely that the Braves will acquire Oswalt but because Oswalt himself seems to want to play for the Braves I thought I might explore how such a trade may be possible.
I think the starting point for an Oswalt-to-Atlanta trade would start at a spot that is not in the rotation. Atlanta has a current payroll of nearly exactly 84MM (assuming Glaus and Saito reach their incentives) and the general consensus is that they could have spent right around 90MM but choose to allow some flexibility to add payroll. Also, attendance at the Ted is up but wouldn’t think that it would be nearly enough to make up for the gap between the roughly 5MM in payroll room and Oswalt’s 15M (even prorated because we have to think about next year as well). Where we could make up that money is in CF. By the trade deadline Jordan Schafer will have spent roughly two months in the high minors and the FO will have a fairly good idea if his wrist is healthy enough for him to handle big league pitching. If it is Schafer would make both McLouth and Cabrera expendable. Now I don’t expect we could get much of anything in return from either player but I think we could get a team to take on their contracts expecially if they continue their improved play of late. So if you replace 4.5MM and 3.1MM with 0.8MM going to Schafer and a backup type utility OFer from AAA you can find another nearly 7MM to add to the 5-6MM in flexiblity and then add another few mil from increase in attendance and all of a sudden you have yourself a Roy Oswalt sized gap in payroll.
Another couple problems to solve would be how do you pay for him in prospects and who do you take out of the already very deep rotation. Hanson and Hudson are untradeable because they are too good and/or have no-trade rights. Lowe and Kawakami have little trade value and you would likely have to eat money when dealing Lowe without getting anything back so its pretty pointless to trade either one of them. Jurrjens however still has 3.5 years of control, is still young but is a proven MLB starter, and is only making 400k this year so he could be traded to any team looking for a starter no matter the payroll. Taking those into account I think the return on trading Jair would be a fair more than what would have to be given up to get Oswalt if you don’t ask the Astros to eat any salary. So lets say, for example, the Braves trade Jurrjens to Texas (getting around any salary concerns for Texas) and get Chris Davis plus some high quality prospect(s) that aren’t MLB ready. Then Davis goes to Houston along with a few lesser specs and can play 3B or 1B in place of a traded Berkman.
I know I just typed alot and that whole thing is very complicated and convoluted but I think it proves my first point. So many things have to fall just right for Atlanta to become a real player for Oswalt but I wouldn’t say it would be impossible.
After reading a few articles on the net and a few blogs, I think the Twins, White Sox and the Mets make the most sense. The Rangers won’t be allowed to do it, the Dodgers are in financial disarray and the Angels aren’t in compete mode right now after losing Lackey and Figgins and Kazmir not working out as well as they would like. It’s gonna take them a year or two to get back up to speed and Oswald just doesn’t make much sense for them right now. Nobody else has the resources and need for him, so I just don’t see it happening, and I’m not even sure about the White Sox having the need, the Twins having the money, or the Mets having the desire to spend the money or the prospects, but those are the three best fits.
Twins don’t have the money, or the need. Nobody in their front office has given any indication that they’re interested in a starter – nobody in their rotation has pitched themselves out of a job.
White Sox aren’t in contention.
Funny how the Twins didn’t have the money before a 23m/per for Mauer. Come on, the Twins have money. New stadium, revenue, playoffs. If you as a Twins fan believe they don’t have money then shame on you. Even Houston has a 100m payroll.
And how they didn’t have money for a Santana extension… Sad, that guy was king and you might be legit contenders at this point had mgmt spent some actual money instead of stadium payoffs
And if they kept Johan their payroll would be 125m, and if they kept Hunter it would be 143m.
Not every club chooses (or can) to sign guys 29-30 to 5-7year contracts for big money.
You’re mssing the focal point of my initial response. Owners and mgmt saying that they have no money is a joke.
To touch on your following points, your payroll would actually only be approximately 110m at this point, with all 3 stars. Add Morneau into the category and you have an annual WS Contender and not just hopes for the playoffs. That is like a late 90’s NYY for you MIN fans. A legit ace, and the best catcher and contact hitter in baseball who is also a Jeter-esque franchise piece, an RBI machine in Morneau, and Torii Hunter and his magic in center and you have major threats for contension.
I see what you are getting at with Houston being the example (Lee), but, time is showing that investing in Santana might have been the right move. The argument for Hunter could possibly go two directions.
Actually, Santana made it very clear early on that the only teams he would absolutely waive his no-trade for were the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox. The issue with the Mets was whether they had the players who could satisfy the Twins; Santana was always willing to go the Mets and said so from the beginning.
Countless reporters said countless times that Santana did not want to go the Mets, especially in NY itself. Mike Francessa and Chris Russo, on the Mets flagship station WFAN no less, repeatedly said they had it on rock-solid authority Santana had no interest whatsoever in going to the Mets. And they weren’t alone. Olney, Stark, Gammons, etc. all said some variation of the same. I could be wrong but I don’t remember Santana saying much of anything at all.
Johan’s public statements (though his agent), were to the effect of wanting to play for a “perennial contender” and somewhere in a large market, IIRC. I don’t recall him saying anything specifically in regards to the Mets.
Mets were eliminated purely by media speculation.
Agree, that’s pretty much what I remember as well.
Looking at the Oswalt trade in a slightly different light – namely what team would have a financial incentive or the financial ability to acquire the pitcher – I suggest that Washington is the likely landing spot for him. The Nationals are drawing less than 21,000 fans per game (thus available capacity for additional revenues). Plus the Nats only have one “bad” contract (J Marquis $7.5 for 2011) on the books. Additionally, the Oswalt move would seriously dwarf anything the regional competition (Orioles) might pull off.
Other teams that are at or near their budget limits might require the Astros to send money along with Oswalt. The Nats could assume all the contract and send a couple of prospects to Houston. This might lessen the embarrassment or public relations nightmare for Houston. Imagine telling the fan base that their best pitcher AND millions of dollars were sent elsewhere for “prospects”.
I agree that the Nats make a ton of sense for both sides. They have the money and he’d be a great fit there. But they’ve lost 100 games the last 2 seasons and I just don’t think he’ll agree to go there.
That said, nowhere is a perfect fit, so who knows?
I know Oswalt will be sought out by many teams – especially those in playoff contention. However, I will say it now Cliff Lee will be on the trading block by the end of July. Seattle is quickly falling out of any dream of the playoffs, and will not sign him at the end of year. Lee did not want to go there in the first place so I am positive he will not sign an extension. So before any one goes after Roy Oswalt, they will call for Lee first. Being a Phillies fan, I see Cliff Lee coming back to the NL and causing havoc for the Phillies attempt at a third World Series appearance.
Another thing, teams like the Twins would probably consider “renting” a player such a Oswalt if they feel he is their missing piece, ex. Sabathia to the Brewers. This is why I feel the Cardinals will make a push for Lee if they need him for the playoffs.
I know Oswalt will be sought out by many teams – especially those in playoff contention. However, I will say it now Cliff Lee will be on the trading block by the end of July. Seattle is quickly falling out of any dream of the playoffs, and will not sign him at the end of year. Lee did not want to go there in the first place so I am positive he will not sign an extension. So before any one goes after Roy Oswalt, they will call for Lee first. Being a Phillies fan, I see Cliff Lee coming back to the NL and causing havoc for the Phillies attempt at a third World Series appearance.
Another thing, teams like the Twins would probably consider “renting” a player such a Oswalt if they feel he is their missing piece, ex. Sabathia to the Brewers. This is why I feel the Cardinals will make a push for Lee if they need him for the playoffs.
Agree down the line. If the Mariners are out of it they’ll trade Lee before the deadline, New York would be a prime destination to create the “havoc” you mention. But there will be heavy competition for him. If the Mets manage to stay in it by then there will be huge fan pressure to make a move to get either Lee or Oswalt.
Lee makes a lot more sense (cents?) for a lot more teams than Oswalt. A rental player with no commitment past 2010, a cheaper 2010 salary, and a better recent health history.
Better recent health history? Lee has already been to the DL this year. How many times has Oswalt been? Oh yeah, none.
Don’t count out the White Sox. He and Peavy are best friends, Ken Williams makes big gamble trades, Oswalt would wave his NTC to go there and the White Sox Still have a few young players they could trade. Just keep them in mind too.
How about, Roy O doesn’t go anywhere due to the mismatching of teams/players/money issues? One more thing, Roy O hasn’t technically been hurt. Back spasms a time or two and all of a sudden he’s a major risk?
It could happen, but people have been calling the Astros to rebuild for years, and now that Roy has asked to be dealt, it seems like them may finally trade him and rebuild.
And he hasnt techinally been hurt, but having back issues(spasms and such) is scary as it can lead to disk problems. Also, back problems start, usually at least, as you get older. When teams see back spasms, to them, it shows that a pitcher is getting old. It is very unlikely that Roy is still an ace… While his ERA/Ks look great, going into further detail(advanced stats) show he is more likely a solid #3, not an ace. Factor in money, NTC, and back issues, it is likely that some teams are scared away…
Agreed, good points but I still think there will be a contending team who needs another top of the rotation starter and whose hand is forced to make a deal. I think it will be after Lee is dealt who is certainly the more attractive option of the two and a lot closer to the deadline.
I do think he’ll be traded as well. I think that a lot of teams will start piling up the negatives, plus the cost of prospects, and say screw it. I agree that the loser of the Lee sweepstakes will probably get involved.
One thing that could help potential trade partners… The Astros don’t really know how to negotiate for prospects because they never trade anyone 😉
Well said kind sir, so eloquently put. It makes an Astros fan pray for the Yanks to win with all Hou stupid moves
I think the prospect of Roy O to Philly makes complete sense. They have the money if Werth walks and prospects and draft comp to replace him. Halladay and Roy O would be intense. Isn’t Lidge finally off the books?
I dont think they have the prospects… remember, they would have Dom Brown replace Werth in the OF when he leaves… and do you think they have enough after that? Also, they are already looking at payroll issues, if I remember, over 100M committed to 7 players next year? Add another 15/16M… thats a lot… Unless their payroll is going to go 170M, doubt they can afford it…
Agreed man. Oswalt is the definition of durable. The guy consistently makes 30 starts and throws 200 innings a season. He’s a stud.
The cost would be too much for the Twins in either money, prospects or both. If the Twins take all or most of his contract they’d likely be at 115-120 million next year while letting go of all of their FA’s, meaning they also would no longer have a 2B (which could still happen regardless of Oswalt). I don’t see the Twins going that high in payroll. If they let the Astros pay for the contract then they’ll likely have to give up a lot.
The Twins biggest trade chip is a catcher. The Astros top prospect is a catcher, who is rated higher than ours. I don’t know if they’d want two. It might be a good problem to have (like us with Mauer and Ramos). Or they would want someone else to be the center piece.
One of our starters would either have to be demoted or traded. I’m not sure if any of them actually deserve it. Even with how bad Slowey has been. Yes, Oswalt would be an upgrade, but not as much as he used to be to make it really worth it.
He pitches in the NL and will see his stats inflate and we have no idea how much. Will he be better than Liriano or Pavano to be worth it?
And the guy is also old. I think we could get someone else for less, like Lee. I don’t like rental players very much but the cost would be a lot cheaper.
Would you do Liriano for Oswalt straight up, if the Astros paid for the rest of Oswalt’s salary just for this season?
No. Their numbers over this season are not that far apart from each other. Switch Roy to the AL and I think his numbers would be worse than Liriano’s. Liriano also has more upside, while Roy is on the downside because of his age.
If Oswalt is willing to go to Detroit, I think they would be the perfect suitors.
Do they have the need? Check.
Do they have the pieces to get him? Check.
Do they have the money? Check.
Do they have a legitimate shot at a postseason run? Check.
I don’t see why it seems like every other team is linked to Oswalt on this site but the Tigers?
blog.mlive.com/cutoffman/2010/05/rob_parker_detroi…