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Astros, Rangers Getting Close To Oswalt Deal?

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5:16pm: Jon Daniels tells T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that "there is no truth" to the Oswalt speculation.

4:36pm: ESPN's Buster Olney hears from a highly placed source that there's nothing to the Oswalt to Texas rumors (Twitter links). He adds the it doesn't make sense for them to pursue the highest paid starting pitcher on the market not just given their financial situation, but also when the market is flush with starters.

4:01pm: A source tells NBCSports.com's Craig Calcattera that the Astros and Rangers are "getting close" to having a Roy Oswalt deal in place. It's not clear who Houston would receive in the deal, but the package of players is more or less agreed too.

However, Texas' financial situation is the sticking point, as the Rangers are trying to convince MLB to allow them to take on the roughly $27MM left on Oswalt's deal. MLB currently has a line of credit to cover expenses out to the Rangers, who are in bankruptcy. As Calcattera explains, it's unclear if the bankruptcy court must approve any new obligations.

The 32-year-old Oswalt has indicated that he will waive his no-trade clause to go to a contender, and the Rangers are currently a half-game up in the AL West. He's posted a 3.16 ERA with 8.6 K/9 this year, his highest mark since his rookie season. The $27MM left on his deal is broken down into $9M for the remainder of this season, $16M next year, and a $2MM buyout of his $16MM option for 2012.

The Rangers' team ERA is middle of the pack at 4.12, but their starters have thrown just 362.1 innings, among the lowest in the league. Oswalt has fired off six straight years of at least 30 starts and 181.1 innings, so he'd fit comfortably at the top of their rotation.

Cardinals Sign Jeff Suppan

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MONDAY, 4:27pm: MLB.com's Spencer Fordin reports that the deal is now official.

SATURDAY, 7:56pm: Cards manager Tony La Russa confirmed that the club will bring Suppan back for a second stint, writes MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom. 

The club has already cleared space on the 40-man roster by outrighting Tyler Norrick.  Now, they must make a move on the 25-man roster to activate Suppan.

6:13pm: The Cardinals are planning to sign the veteran hurler early next week and put him in the rotation, according to Fox Sports Midwest (via Twitter).  The club has been impressed with Suppan's side sessions where he has demonstrated that his arm is healthy.

St. Louis must first make some roster adjustments before inking Suppan.

THURSDAY, 2:50pm: The Cardinals will sign Jeff Suppan, according to the Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Suppan pitched for St. Louis for three seasons before signing a four-year, $42MM deal with the Brewers.  The Brewers released the righty Monday with $10MM remaining, making him a free agent.  The Cards will pay just the pro-rated league minimum. 

The Cardinals' rotation has been weakened by Brad Penny's lat strain and Kyle Lohse's forearm injury, creating the need for a veteran at the back end to soak up innings.

Remembering the 1991 Trade Deadline

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Ah, who can forget 1991? A little start-up network named Comedy Central was born, while the Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved. Youngsters Jeff Bagwell and Chuck Knoblauch, NL and AL Rookie of the Year, respectively, served notice that they'd be forces for years to come. And Cubs' shortstop Starlin Castro celebrated his first birthday.

Meanwhile, the hot stove produced some interesting moments as well. Let's think back to the time we furiously refreshed MLBTradeRumors.com using our 300 baud modems…

  • The Toronto Blue Jays got a jump on the trading season on June 27th by dealing Glenallen Hill, Mark Whiten and Denis Boucher to the Cleveland Indians for Tom Candiotti and Turner Ward. Candiotti had been a hard-luck pitcher with Cleveland- his 2.24 ERA had produced a 7-6 record- but his trade to a contender didn't help, as his 2.98 ERA in Toronto produced a 6-7 record. Just another lesson in the perils of won-loss record. Meanwhile, Hill and Whiten went on to similar careers-both bounced around the major leagues, hitting home runs. And Boucher, a Montreal native, eventually made a triumphant homecoming, pitching to a 1.91 ERA for the 1993 Expos.
  • On July 15th, the New York Mets, still in the race at 49-36, 4.5 games out of first, traded Ron Darling and Mike Thomas to the Expos for Tim Burke in an attempt to shore up their bullpen. Burke certainly did that, pitching 55.2 innings of 2.75 ERA baseball, but it didn't stop the Mets from a freefall that left them at 77-84 for the season. Darling, meanwhile, was a disaster in Montreal, posting a 7.41 ERA in three starts before being shipped just 16 days later to Oakland for Russell Cormier and Matt Grott. Back on American soil, Darling found his rhythm again, pitching to a 4.08 ERA over 75 innings for the Athletics.
  • Oil Can Boyd fared only a bit better than Darling, post-trade, after being dealt from the Expos to the Rangers on July 21 for Joey Eischen, Jonathan Hurst and Travis Buckley. Boyd had a 3.52 ERA in 120.1 innings with Montreal, but collapsed to a 6.68 ERA in what turned out to be the final 62 innings of his major league career for Bobby Valentine's Rangers. Not that Boyd was finished pitching, of course- he had several more seasons in independent league baseball, including a 3.83 ERA stint in 110.1 innings for the 2005 Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League, at age 45.
  • And in an indication of just how much the past 19 years has inflated the cost of deadline-deal closers, the Phillies traded Roger McDowell to the Dodgers for Mike Hartley and Braulio Castillo. Hartley was a veteran middle reliever, while Castillo was a fringe prospect at best. McDowell was just what the Dodgers needed, saving seven games and pitching to a 2.55 ERA in 42.1 innings. The Dodgers, however, finished one game behind Atlanta, meaning that a 93-69 season earned Los Angeles… nothing.

Astros Sign Mike Kvasnicka

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MONDAY, 2:44pm: The signing is official according to a team press release. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo tweets the deal is worth $936K.

SATURDAY, 10:37pm: The Astros have reached a deal with supplemental draft pick Mike Kvasnicka, a source tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  The University of Minnesota product was taken with the 33rd overall pick.

Kvasnicka, a catcher in college, is expected to sign in the next few days.  The Astros plan on moving him to third base while allowing him to catch occasionally.  ESPN's Keith Law ranked Kvasnicka as the 49th best player in the draft.

With first round pick Mike Foltynewicz also having agreed to a deal, Houston will now try to lock down their remaining unsigned first rounder, Delino DeShields Jr.  Foltynewicz was taken with 18th pick while DeShields was grabbed with the eighth overall selection.

Orioles Release Tony Butler, Jake Smith

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The Orioles have released lefthanded pitching prospects Tony Butler and Jake Smith according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (via Twitter). Both had been playing with Baltimore's Low Class-A affiliate. 

Butler, 22, was the Mariners' third round pick in the 2006 draft, and was traded to the Orioles as part of the Erik Bedard deal. He battled injury and ineffectiveness after the trade, posting a 5.91 ERA in 112.2 innings with the organization, including a 7.66 ERA in 44.2 innings this season. Baseball America ranked him as the team's 24th best prospect as recently as last season.

Smith, 24, was Baltimore's 45th round pick in 2007, and pitched to a respectable 4.01 ERA in 112.1 innings. In 33.2 innings in 2010, he posted a 4.54 ERA with unimpressive peripherals. Neither he nor Butler made it out of A-ball.

Rangers Exploring Deal For Conor Jackson

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The Rangers are exploring a deal for outfielder Conor Jackson according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, but "nothing is remotely close." Texas has been looking for a righthanded bat for their bench basically all year, and have been linked to Mike Lowell since the winter. They are also considering other options beyond Lowell and Jackson.

Of course, the Rangers must consider finances more than most clubs, and Jackson is still owed close to $1.9MM during the remainder of the season. He is under team control for 2011, which is certainly a nice benefit. Rosenthal mentions that Texas has prospects to spare, so perhaps they could convince the Diamondbacks to kick in some money by offering up a higher quality player.

The 28-year-old Jackson is hitting .238/.326/.331 in 172 plate appearances this season, spending time in left and at first. The Rangers already tried Ryan Garko as the righty bat off the bench, but he was waived after hitting .094/.171/.094 in 37 plate appearances.

Heyman’s Latest: Lee, Oswalt, White Sox, Nady

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Jon Heyman has a new column up at SI.com, so let's dive on in…

  • Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt are the two big name pitchers available on the trade market, but their value is very different because of the money owed to them. "At the end of the day," says one AL exec, "I don't think Houston will be able to move the entire (Oswalt) contract and get premium players back."
  • Another AL executive noted that Lee has proven that he can be successful in the American League and will fetch two draft picks at the end of the season.
  • The Red Sox turned down a straight up Lee for Clay Buchholz offer last year.
  • The Yankees are happy with their rotation at the moment, but they plan on putting in a call in the coming days just in case they are "pleasantly surprised" by Seattle's asking price. Oswalt, meanwhile, isn't even on their radar.
  • Some wonder if the Dodgers are saving money for a big score, but GM Ned Colletti will be hard pressed to acquire either Lee or Oswalt without ownership approval.
  • The Cardinals might not be willing to take on Oswalt's deal with Albert Pujols' free agency rapidly approaching.
  • The Mets might not want to give up the prospects to acquire another frontline pitcher, though the Rangers would be able to work Lee's salary into the budget.
  • Heyman also goes through and offers some opinion on other teams that could use one of the two aces, including the Reds, Phillies, and Angels.
  • Kenny Williams would like to fire Ozzie Guillen according to one person close to the team, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf is too loyal to let it happen.
  • A trade of Xavier Nady to open up the Cubs' outfield logjam seems likely.

Braves Unlikely To Trade Chris Resop

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The Braves aren't going to trade righty Chris Resop before his Tuesday opt-out date unless they get an "amazing return," tweets Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. They will instead call him up to work out of the bullpen, maintaining their depth.

Resop, 27, has been a revelation as a starter in Triple-A this year, posting a 1.84 ERA and 9.9 K/9 in 13 starts (73.1 innings). He spent last season pitching in Japan, and prior to that he was strictly a reliever in his pro career, which included stints with the Marlins, Angels, and Braves. Resop would have been able to opt out of his contract tomorrow if he had not been called up the bigs, and interest would have been plentiful if he hit the open market.

Oswalt Would Accept Trade To The Mets

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Roy Oswalt would accept a trade to the Mets according to a "player who is friendly" with the Astros' ace, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. The Mets' "veteran fiber" appeals to Oswalt according to Puma's source, however his hefty price tag makes it extremely unlikely the team will be able to pursue him.

Oswalt has indicated that he'll accept a trade anywhere he could contend, and the Mets are currently a game and a half back in the NL East. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal indicated that the Amazin's would be reluctant to part with infield prospect Ruben Tejada in a trade, though it's still unclear what exactly the Astros are looking for in return.

The 32-year-old Oswalt is enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career, with a 3.16 ERA and 8.6 K/9, his highest mark since his rookie season. He's owed just a touch over $9M for the remainder of this season, plus $16M next year with an option for 2012.

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