Roy Oswalt is still considering retirement after the 2011 season, while his rotation mate Cole Hamels wants to sign an extension to stay in Philadelphia, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
Oswalt told Morosi last February that "this year [2010] and next year will probably be it." Oswalt didn't sound quite as definitive on Monday, but said that retirement is still on his mind.
“I’ll play this year and see how it goes,” Oswalt said. “I’ll see where my body’s at and pretty much go from there.”
2011 is the last guaranteed year on Oswalt's contract. The Phils hold a $16MM option on the veteran right-hander for 2012, and Oswalt can choose to opt out of this option himself, though doing so would reduce the $2MM buyout price. Oswalt turns 34 in August but is still pitching at a high enough level that if he remains in good form through this season, the Phillies probably wouldn't hesitate to exercise that option.
Oswalt has never played for a World Series winner, so it's possible the Phillies' performance this season will influence his future plans. If the Phils win the Series, Oswalt could choose to walk away from the game on the high note of his first championship. If the club falls short, Oswalt could decide to return in 2012 to take one last shot at a title on a Phillies team that is still set up to contend.
Oswalt's retirement would make a long-term extension for Hamels even more of a priority than it probably already is for the Phils. Hamels is entering the last year of a three-year, $20.5MM pact he signed with Philadelphia before the 2009 season, but the left-hander still has one more year of arbitration eligibility left as a Super Two player.
We heard in January that the Phillies hadn't begun to discuss a multiyear deal with Hamels, but the left-hander told Rosenthal/Morosi that he is very interested in remaining in Philadelphia.
“I want to be here as long as I possibly can,” Hamels said. “It’s why Cliff ( Lee) came back. It’s the reason Roy ( Halladay) wanted to be here. It’s a great place to play….I want to be here for the majority of my time of being a baseball player. I’ve never looked at anything else.”
Worley may be just as good as Oswalt in 2012, anyhow.
Really? …not even close.
Worley is a guy with pretty underwhelming stuff. Hope that was sarcasm…
I like Worley but I think his future is in the pen. I see he more as a set-up man than a #1 or 2 starter.
On what planet would Vance Worley EVER be as good as Roy Oswalt?
Are we assuming that Oswalt completely destroys his back in 2011 or that Worley makes a deal with El Diablo for a great 10 year run?
“Worley makes a deal with El Diablo for a great 10 year run?”
Why not? RA Dickey did.
Talk about a fanbase overhyping a guy based off a couple September starts against garbage lineups. And this is coming from a Phillies fan.
A lot of people were angry Ruben didn’t trade Blanton and give Worley the #5 spot. I’m sorry, I said people…I meant fools.
WE NEED OSWALT AND HAMELS!!!
The Phillies with anything less than 4 Aces is totally unacceptable.
Oswalt is far from being an ace…on most staffs at least.
Yes, the man who lead the National League in WHIP and finished sixth in Cy Young voting is not an ace on most staffs…
*facepalm*
To be fair, Tim Hudson finished 4th this past year. Javier Vazquez finished 3rd in 2009. Cy Young voting isn’t the best thing to cite.
But yeah, Oswalt is still an ace.
Oswalt in 2010 would have been an Ace on probably 2/3 of the teams in baseball. Based on his career, he’s always been an Ace level pitcher and he showed that in Philly in the 2nd half last year. He’s a borderline HoF level guy by the numbers.
Oswalt has been one of my favorite pitchers over the past 6 or so years, but if he does retire after the 2011 season……there’s no chance he’s a Hall of Famer. Assuming he wins 18 games this year, that gives him a total of 168 wins. He’s likely gonna need 3-4 more productive years in order to get any serious recognition, but as you stated the rest of his numbers are up to par.
And I recognize that you said ‘HoF level guy by the numbers.’ Just wanted to say that since I see people here say he’s a a Hall of Famer almost everytime there’s a discussion on him.
I agree completely…I mean if he stays on his current trajectory and doesn’t retire. He’s on a pace to do it but if he were to retire early, he clearly doesnt go in.
People are going to need to start re-adjusting their criteria for HOF pitching. 300 wins isn’t going to happen anymore.
I doubt it’ll happen again, but there’s a large distance between 168 wins and 300+ wins.
I just don’t think he’d be seriously considered if he retired next year, which would be 11 total seasons. 11 seasons, 168 wins, and a career ERA of 3.18 just won’t cut it. If he can get it up to the 220 range while maintaining his rate statistics and ERA, then he’ll have a case.
You cannot be serious with that comment
Mark: no reduction in buyout if Oswalt opts out; It was part of the deal for Oswalt to waive his no-trade. He gets $2m regardless.
Let the Sabathia replacing Oswalt speculation begin…
It began months ago, as did the idiotic ‘Howard straight-up for Pujols’ speculation.
I love my Little Roy.
unless you guys and the guy who wrote this article know something i dont know, why the hell is oswalt thinking of retiring? its not like he’s 38 and at the end of his career. he may be on the wrong side of 30 but i would imagine he still has at least 3 more strong years in him.
Billy Wagner is retiring just a year removed from this:
69.1 innings
37 saves
1.43 ERA
0.865 WHIP
4.9 H/9
2.9 BB/9
13.5 K/9(oldest player to ever do this, actually)
He’s also just two saves away from Franco’s record and had the chance to earn another $6.5 million to close for a contender. He’s yet to file his papers, but I’m positive he’s retiring. Some people just want to spend more time with their families, I suppose.
those are wicked numbers. he is older than oswalt thought and about the age of which players normally retire. yeah i guess that might be it but he’s not close to being washed up.
I was expecting a riot to break out by posting anything about Billy Wagner in a Phillies-related thread.
I think most people in Philadelphia got over the “Wagner to the Mets” thing right around the time Tom Glavine was getting pulled in the 2nd inning on the last day of the season in 2007.
Suffice to say, Philadelphia has moved on.
‘Suffice to say, Philadelphia has moved on.’
Maybe, but if that was the case then the Phillies fans I hear rant at the mere mention of his name must be the last ones left. Honestly, it’s a pretty common thing to hear/read. Philadelphia has done well for itself though lately, no doubt.
Honestly, and I live in Philadelphia, I have not heard more than a peep about Wagner since at least 2007. While I do not think Billy should leave his wallet at home if he’s out for dinner in Philadelphia, he certainly does not need to wear a mask either.
Considering what Lidge did in 2008, and the fact that Billy basically broke down in Queens, anyone still complaining about Wagner needs to get laid, badly.
Agreed.
Oswalt is just a different kind of guy; the bulldozer, opening a restaurant in his podunk town (where he and his wife work the register, clean tables, etc etc in the offseason), lives is a comparably small log cabin (3,000sq ft, but c’mon this guy is LOADED)…he’s still just a country boy.
dude, I never knew that about the other Roy. That’s pretty awesome. Definitely love the guy even more know
It may end up being a physical issue with him (his back). 2 years ago he missed september, and I seem to recall it being debated as to whether he needed surgery.
so, no guarantee he makes the 3 years or whatever, even if he wants to!
Since it’s ‘Free_AGC’s’ bedtime, I can safely ask some of the actual reasonable Phillies fans how they view this Braves organization going forward.
The good:
1. Chipper retiring at the end of the 2011 season***
2. Upgrading the offense with the acquisition of Dan Uggla.
3. Upgrading the rotation with a 5th starter who’s all but assured not to go 1-10 on the season.
4. Surplus of quality starting pitchers, as they have Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor, and possibly Brandon Beachy. Then Teheran, Delgado, and Vizcaino waiting in the wings. Some will be moved to upgrade other areas, so this organization seems to be in great shape going forward.
The bad:
1. Liberty Media
2. Lack of high-ceiling positional prospects
So, since the Phillies have basically owned the NL East for the past 4 years and continue to look great for at least the next 2-3 years……..are the Braves the biggest threat? I’ve heard some say the Nationals, and haven’t heard the Mets or Marlins even in the equation for the next 3-4 years.
***Chipper hopes to finish out his contract, but I don’t see it happening.
Definitely. Their bullpen is nasty and they have a chance to develop a Giants type pitching staff in the next few years. But I just think the Phillies are stronger in every way besides middle relief this year and maybe next year. I think the Braves, while they improved their offense, compromised their defense which will hurt them as most of their starters are pitch to contact types. I think they’re a player or two away from being a real… “okay, they could win this” type of team. Centerfield is a bigger hole for them in my opinion than Right field for the Phillies.
Both teams (braves and phillies) will be in the post season this year and could very well play each other in the NLCS.
The Marlins are always competitive but I don’t think they’re championship level and the mets aren’t going to be a factor without Santana for most of this year. The Nationals have improved their defense; When you go to washington they’re not just going to hand you 3 wins, you have to earn it. That said, they’re still nothing more than a fourth place team at this point without Strasburg.
Appreciate the input…
I am worried about their defense. However, while Uggla is a downgrade at 2B…..Prado represents a significant upgrade in LF. Hudson and Lowe are ground-ball types, but the rest of the staff gets more fly balls. And then there’s the speculation that Uggla isn’t actually a bad defender, it was the Marlins horrible infield that hurt his defense so much. I don’t pay attention to defensive metric, but in a pretty large sample size Uggla was a plus defender away from Miami, but one of the worst in Miami. I don’t totally buy it, but Freeman is great defensively and Gonzo is a much better SS than Hanley, and with the condition of the infield being better……I expect at least some improvement on defense from Uggla. Chipper isn’t going to be too great, I admit.
I don’t expect Freeman to immediately produce at a high level. If he can give the club a .280, .330, .420 line I’d be thrilled, because he’s already an upgrade defensively. But I’m a believer in his power, but it’s gonna be a few years until it’s fully developed. Hit an absolute bomb off of Halladay in September of last year.
I expect improvement from Heyward as the thumb that bothered him the entire second half(and he still managed a .900+ OPS) should be fully healed. That injury zapped a lot of his power and prevented him from going the other way like he’s used to. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a .290, .410, .525 line with 28+ HR.
If Chipper can give the club 120+ games, I’d be ecstatic. But if/when he goes down, Prado moves to 3B. McCann and Prado will do what they always do. I don’t expect much from Gonzalez. Nate McLouth……he was great in the final month after being called back up, but I don’t have much hope for him. But it would be difficult to be worse than he was last year.
I’m worried about the backend of the pen, but Kimbrel seemed to get a better handle on his control when he was called back up. If he can get his walk rate down to something like a 4.3 BB/9, he’ll be as dominant as any closer in the game not named Rivera or Soria because of how many hitters he strikes out. Had a 17.4 K/9 during his stint last year and owns a 14.4 K/9 in his minor league career. He’s unhittable, but just needs to cut down on the walks. But I think the pen will be at least above-average this season.
Nationals aren’t a threat until they get more pitching. Mets are a joke. The Marlins are decent but I think they’re an 85 win team at the max.
The Braves are obviously the best competition for Philadelphia in the near-future. And they have the young pitching that should be ready by the time Hudson, Lowe, etc. call it quits/leave town.
I am a rational Phillie fan. I view the Braves as the current biggest threat to the Phillies for a number of reasons. The pitching staff is solid, however the back end of the bullpen is questionable. Losing Wagner stinks, and Saito was very good last year. Kimbrel looked good, but who knows if he’s ready, and if not Venters had better be. I think the pen will be a strength in the future, but might need a year to put it together.
The offense was upgraded with Uggla, no question. But there are more than enough questions to go with that. Is Freeman ready? Is Gonzalez the Toronto version or the Atlanta version (not a fan of that trade)? How will Prado adjust to the outfield? And last but certainly not least, can Chipper stay healthy?
Going forward though, with a core of Hayward, Freeman, Hanson, and some of the young pen arms, I don’t see why you can’t make a case for them to be in contention in a few years. They are pretty much set at C, 1B, 2B, and RF. The rotation needs work as only Hanson and Jurrjens are on the right side of 30 from last year, but they are bona-fide MLB starters. The bullpen has a bright future and that can always be filled in relatively cheap provided the younger guys are for real.
As for the rest of the division, the Mets ownership situation looms, but they will spend again some day. A lot of Florida’s future depends on the reaction to the new stadium, And the Nats need to establish some cred first before top free agents will go there without the Nats having to drastically overpay as they did with Werth.
The Phillies have the potential to be great for the next two years, but beyond that, who knows? They will be paying Howard for a long time, and lets be honest, as excited as I am about Cliff Lee, we are going to be paying a lot of money, well into his late 30’s. The potential is there to have both deals blow up in our faces.
is that actually true? because thats pretty funny. i wonder how many people go to the restaurant and see him and think “that cant be roy oswalt…” and say to their friend sitting at the same table “i may be drunk but, is our waiter roy oswalt???’
Oswalt’s velocity hasn’t dropped that much, and as long as he still wants to play and is not being made to throw 230 to 240 innings like the Astros did earlier in his career(and making 32 starts throwing just around 200 innings, he’ll hold up.) But the Phillies are pretty old, and the Phillies biggest albatross will be Ryan Howard. He has 5 more seasons at 25 million per, correct? Their team reminds me of the Astros when they got swept in the World Series(Berkman had just turned 30, Oswalt was 28, and everyone else was getting old. They went out and overpaid Carlos Lee who is now the Astros’ albatross. Even if guys like that mash and get 40 homeruns and drive in 125 to 135 runs… they’re overpaid because they’re liabilities in the field and on the bases. Utley seems to be injured every year, and it sucks cause when healthy, he’s the best second baseman. As for Oswalt, look at his career numbers(and remember how many games Houston cost him.) He’s best when there’s pressure on him, and when he’s not the only pitcher to have seen an all-star team. He’s only one year older than Cliff Lee…