Phillies land Oswalt; three prospects going to Houston
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Phillies land Oswalt; three prospects going to Houston
Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb
The Phillies have completed a three-player trade with the Houston Astros for righthander Roy Oswalt.
Lefthanded pitcher J.A. Happ, outfielder Anthony Gose and infielder Jonathan Villar are going to Houston.
Villar, who has been removed from single-A Lakewood's lineup tonight, is hitting .272 with two home runs and 36 RBIs. Villar, 19, has 42 errors in 99 games as Lakewood's shortstop but projects as a corner infielders down the line.
Gose, who turns 20 on Aug. 10, is hitting .263 with four home runs and 20 RBIs for single-A Clearwater. He has 36 stolen bases but has been caught stealing 27 times.
Happ, whom the Phillies have injury concerns about, has made three starts this season after finishing as runner-up National League Rookie of the Year. He is 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA in three starts. Happ, 27, strained his left elbow on April 15.
Happ was running on the warning track at Citizens Bank Park around 3 p.m. and was pulled aside by pitching coach Rich Dubee and the two entered a tunnel down the rightfield line.
The monetary details of the trade are still unknown.
The two teams have reportedly agreed on a way to handle the remainder of Oswalt's salary. ESPN is reporting the Phillies have asked the Astros to pay a "significant portion" of the $5 million Oswalt is due for the remainder of this season plus the $16 million Oswalt is due in 2011.
Then, of course, there is the $16 million club option for 2012.
That has been the sticking point all along, a baseball source told The Inquirer earlier in the week.
"Oswalt has [Astros general manager] Ed Wade and everybody else at his mercy because of that no-trade clause," the source said. "I know the Phillies thought they were close to having it done last week, but I think the difference was that option year."
More to come...
Oswalt is here for 2 years, and that is the window of opportunity. Sometimes you have to take the chance regarding the injury bug. Happ wasn't the guy who was going to help you get back to the WS. The Phils are at the next level, as they will continue to acquire top level talent in order to complete. My only concern now is that they are lefty deficient.— beegal99
Comment removed.- Now make this a GREAT deal and sign WERTH with the 11 mil!!!!
- I used to want to puke when the Yankees made deals like this...but boy it feels good when it's your own team making them!— Maverick322
- Heck yes, this is a good deal— Gold
- Ummm.....a lot of what if here. Oswalts back is a time bomb ready to go off, and if it goes off within the next 1 1/2 years the Phillies are screwed. If not it may be a good deal. Personally, I dont have a good feeling about it. Then again I am the guy who once said Steve Walsh would be a better pro QB than Troy Aikman...and Ryan Leaf better than Peyton Manning.....thats why Im an armcahir GM.— Big D phillies fan
- It's obvious, even to me, that the Phillies needed another starter, certainly now that Moyer is likely gone for good. Given all of the prospects that Amaro had to pursue... this one "ain't too bad". Let's welcome Oswalt to Philly and see what he does... AND please... we are not getting Lee back... it was a bad trade... everyone knows that..so can we all move on!!! and let's concentrate on winning the division, and on to the playoffs!!!!— Jack Ross
- Lucky for the Phils, Rube the Boob was dealing with Ed Wade. Wade, however, wasn't the one who traded Cliff Lee for a bag of rocks, so the jury is still out on this one. Hopefully, Oswalt can perform well and get us back to the WS.— younged
- Can somebody tell the Phillies that the Astros are waiting for them to complete the dealeo?— vejjev
- worst deal in phillies history...oswalt it terrible— ThinkTwice
- IF this deal is Happ Gose and Villar as being reported along with 11Million how can anyone be upset? They didnt give up Sigleton Cosart or May and people are mad. Come on Three Aces and I guess the rumor he doesnt want to play for the phils was bogus so I appologize for beraiding this thread about Oswalt. Can't wait to see you in the red pinstripes— Phillyphan26
- Oswalt's numbers are quite sound; his K/BB ratio would be the second-highest on the staff; his HR ratio isn't great (0.9 per nine innings) but Minute Maid Park is very much like CBP, so that's a wash. I've heard a rumor (FWIW) that Happ was close to needing Tommy John surgery this year; Gose would be tough to lose. From what I've read from the Philly press, they are quite high on this guy, but given their outfield depth, if they can trade him and not lose either Singleton or Worley, than this seems to be a good trade. The major concerns are Oswalt's back and his attitude. If a guy is going to negotiate in the papers, rather than behind the scenes through his agent, how is that going to sit with the Phillies clubhouse chemistry? Would Oswalt become another Shilling, a tough-minded winner who started popping off to the media and loudly lobbied for a trade when things got tough? Say what you will about the Phillies' struggles this year, no one has thrown anyone else under the bus (save for Ruben with Milt Thompson). If Oswalt stays healthy and if he isn't a jerk, this is a good trade. Two big ifs.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- "Soft pretzels, cheesesteaks and Tasty Kakes for everyone" Oh and gun violence, corruption, union goons, and trash. But just stay out of the city and you'll be fine.— RightWingHypocrite
- "You want to beat the Yankees, you have to work like the Yankees." Then don't complain later on about the Yankees because the Phils are playing the same game. Just sayin'— RightWingHypocrite
- Great deal..Happ is not going to help us this year. The prospects will never play here. Adding Oswalt now makes it much harder for teams to take a series from us..Getting money back also adds to flexibility to do more things. Oswalt has pitched in the playoffs with Houston and is used to big games. Give Amaro credit here. This was a real good move.— bradco
