In a interview conducted earlier today on the MLB Network Sirius XM Channel by hosts Rod Dibble and Jim Memolo,Pitcher Roy Oswalt announced that he would be open to being traded if it would help the Astros rebuild.
“When you get to a point where you need to start rebuilding they’re going to start with a guy that’s got a lot of value and I understand that if I’m throwing well that they maybe can get two or three guys that can fill holes that they need. I told them from the very beginning when they get to that point I would be open to being traded.”
Oswalt, 32 went on to say that explained that if he is to be dealt, he would want to go to a “true contender”. There is speculation that the teams the he would love to be traded to includes the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, and the Saint Louis Cardinals. Oswalt’s deal, which expires after next season guarantees him for a combined $31MM over the next two seasons, and he has a full no-trade clause.
I would love to see him wearing the Mets Blue and Orange, I just don’t know if the Mets are willing to put together a package of top flight rookies to get him, that and if Oswalt if dealt to the Mets would he be willing to come here?
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39 comments
metsfan4decades
5/13/2010-8:51pm at 8:51 pm (UTC -4)
IDK….depends on the prospects we’d have to give up for a 32 year old pitcher – whose current contract only goes through end of next year.
After Pedro, I’m kinda leery of taking on pitchers 32+ for several year contract.
CaseStreet
5/13/2010-8:59pm at 8:59 pm (UTC -4)
Pass, cliff lee please
njstuckintx
5/13/2010-9:07pm at 9:07 pm (UTC -4)
I would take him, he would thrive here, but he will not want to come to a “yankee” town, as in them yanks up north, like everything above charleston, SC.
He is injury prone, but I don’t see him breaking down as Pedro did in 2 years. If he was 34-35 and had 2 years left, then I would say no.
He would, in reality, be the #2 we all wanted the mets to get, sliding pelf, niese, maine back and hopefully ollie out. If he could be had, he prob. should be.
Lastly, the Astros are hurting hurting hurting in the INF positions. Did I mention they were hurting? If Oswalt goes, so goes Berkman, so I would assume Murphy, maybe Havens (even Tejada?) and some pitching would get him. Holt? I dunno, I’m not a good or even passable talent/trade evaluator. But INF positions are of die need to them and that does seem to be there. Would I want to part with Tejada or Holt? No, but you have to give to get.
Hazmet
5/13/2010-10:08pm at 10:08 pm (UTC -4)
Talk about breaking news, anybody see this one today:
http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Ex_MLBer_Ordered_Keith_Hernandezs_Arms_Broken/2587565
metsfan4decades
5/13/2010-11:29pm at 11:29 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks for posting this. Is saw a headline of it earlier on one of those sites where you have to pay to read so I never did get the story.
stickguy
5/14/2010-12:12am at 12:12 am (UTC -4)
I think I scared myself reading the comments to that post. There are some seriously weird people out there.
Hazmet
5/13/2010-10:10pm at 10:10 pm (UTC -4)
sorry all don’t know what happened on pasting the link
njstuckintx
5/13/2010-10:30pm at 10:30 pm (UTC -4)
you can’t break the ‘Stache!
dirtysanchez
5/13/2010-10:42pm at 10:42 pm (UTC -4)
Eh…not into roy oswalt anymore. I certianly wouldnt give up top prospects for him and the only way I would think about getting him is if there was a way to dump ollies contact. Since thats not going to happen ill pass. Santana/pelf/maine/niese are throwing very well…besides i dont think he even wants to come here
trs86
5/13/2010-10:49pm at 10:49 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed, find me the next Matt Garza not Pedro circa Mets.
Mr North Jersey
5/13/2010-10:50pm at 10:50 pm (UTC -4)
and where were u 2nite may i ask?
Mr North Jersey
5/13/2010-10:50pm at 10:50 pm (UTC -4)
u was no where in dugout
we had full room 12 ppl.
trs86
5/14/2010-8:10am at 8:10 am (UTC -4)
? you mean after the game? LOL I was there the entire time.
njstuckintx
5/13/2010-11:57pm at 11:57 pm (UTC -4)
Finding the next Garza is like hitting the lottery. Easy said and hoped for than actually going to happen.
trs86
5/14/2010-8:10am at 8:10 am (UTC -4)
Very true but we found our own versions in Maine and Ollie that worked very well for 2007 and 2008.
njstuckintx
5/14/2010-9:11am at 9:11 am (UTC -4)
I’ve been thinking about this. You’d prob have to flip F-mart or something similar for a touted prospect who hasn’t put it together yet. That would be on par with the Garza trade. Which pitcher fits that bill… Homer Bailey? Fausto Carmona?
stickguy
5/13/2010-11:04pm at 11:04 pm (UTC -4)
oswalt wants to go to a contender, as long as the team plays in redneck country!
I would take Oswalt, but only as a salary dump for a couple marginal prospects. Nobody exciting.
Do not have any faith he won’t break down hard, and soon, and he is still owed a ton of money.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-12:49am at 12:49 am (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t mind him. Okay he’s expensive and will probably cost one or more top prospects. But if this is more of salary dump, I would love for the Mets to go after him.
He has had rough year last season, but I think it can be blamed at injury. This season he seems to have bounced back. With 7 GS, he has 7 quality starts averaging 6.9 IP. He 2.63 ERA with 1.104 WHIP. His K/9 innings are 1 K higher than his career average. He’s on pace to have a great season. If he comes into the current Mets rotation, he’s our #1.
Okay so he’s owed a lot of money $16M per in 2011 & 2012 and 32 yrs old. But Cliff Lee is only 1 year younger than him AND 1 year OLDER than Johan. Do you think you could get Lee at 2/32? Speaking of injuries, Lee has also had arm problems this season.
What I’m saying is that give the right circumstances, I don’t think trading for Oswalt is a bad idea. Is he worth Mejia? Probably no. But I would trade anyone else in the farm for him even FMart.
and there’s no way in hell the Astros take Ollie in return, because it just doesn’t make sense. Maybe Maine or Niese, but I’m okay with that.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-12:57am at 12:57 am (UTC -4)
Not to mention that outside of Lee, there are no other SPs worth signing as our #2. Here are some noteworthy FAs
De La Rosa (29)
Lily (34)
Webb (31)
Hudson (34)
Vazquez (33)
Can you honestly say that these guys are better than Oswalt?
trs86
5/14/2010-8:20am at 8:20 am (UTC -4)
Well it depends on how you think Oswalt will hold up and how much these guys cost/ recover from their own issues.
De La Rosa would be a good pickup and I think Vazquez would be fine back in the NL. Webb, who knows? If he recovers from injury he’s very good.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-9:14am at 9:14 am (UTC -4)
De La Rosa would be a good pickup, but he has also had one good season and probably will commend at least 3+ years. Vazquez hasn’t shown that he can play in NY. I know it could be NL/AL thing, but it bothers me that he has such trouble with the Yankees. And Webb? I was all for going after him IF he stayed healthy this season, but I just think he’s too injury prone.
I think Webb and De La Rosa would definitely want at least 2+ year contract. Given how Oswalt has played so far this season, I think he’s the better choice there with contract situation in mind.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-12:58am at 12:58 am (UTC -4)
And as for true contender comment, he knows that if he joins the current Mets rotation AND Beltran back, the Mets are definitely a “true” contender.
njstuckintx
5/14/2010-7:31am at 7:31 am (UTC -4)
I would definitely take him, for sure. Would depend on the package, obv. but I’m not certain he would say yes to the Mets.
trs86
5/14/2010-8:18am at 8:18 am (UTC -4)
Where we really should make our move is for Zambrano. Easy move in my opinion, over paid and not getting it done. Maybe it’s a change of scenery needed. His velocity has stayed pretty steady over the years so I am not sure it’s injury. He still has a very high K/9 but has been a HR victim this season and an incredibly high BABIP.
I would think with the Cubs struggling again they would be ready to dump some veterans because what they have has not worked for a while and they are locked financially.
So why not try this?
Castillo, Murphy and a AA for Zambrano and Fontenot.
njstuckintx
5/14/2010-8:59am at 8:59 am (UTC -4)
Creative.
Maybe if they take Ollie with them. I’m not sure the numbers work any other way.
trs86
5/14/2010-9:05am at 9:05 am (UTC -4)
Eh, numbers would be fine. Yeah he’s owed a lot but taking Castillo softens the blow.
njstuckintx
5/14/2010-9:08am at 9:08 am (UTC -4)
To a point, yeah. To me, Castillo is disposable at this point, salary speaking. Use him if there isn’t a better option, dump him for a bag of balls or a minor leaguer should be a prob.
Dumping 6-ish million vs. the mountain of money that ollie or Big Z would be owed… uff da. Flipping Ollie for Big Z, that would make it less painful. And they’ve flipped headcases for ugly contracts before. See Silva, Carlos.
trs86
5/14/2010-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
Castillo has 12M left counting this year.
$17.875M, 11:$17.875M, 12:$18M, 13:$19.25M vesting player option for Zamby but that vesting option is very difficult to obtain unless he is a CY young contender.
So basically it would change his contract to 3/44, reasonable.
njstuckintx
5/14/2010-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
You could prob get De La Rosa for 3/36. Will either of them be worth it? Time would tell.
Either way, I like the creativity!
trs86
5/14/2010-9:24am at 9:24 am (UTC -4)
Most likely can’t get De La Rosa THIS season though right?
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-9:28am at 9:28 am (UTC -4)
I think there is a possibility if the Rockies are completely out of it. From what I’ve read, there were some contract talks, but they are so far apart it’s highly unlikely that Rockies re-sign him.
Also I’ve read that De La Rosa would be looking for Ollie money.
njstuckintx
5/14/2010-9:31am at 9:31 am (UTC -4)
I was going to say the same thing DND. If SD and SF start rolling and injuries and such pile up where the Rox are out, I could see them trading him for sure. Just would happen at the deadline, not anytime soon.
trs86
5/14/2010-9:38am at 9:38 am (UTC -4)
I would think with De La Rosa they might just offer arbitration and take the picks. Not sure they get better than 2 draft picks for him.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-9:39am at 9:39 am (UTC -4)
But I think the Mets need to give up a lot to get him. Would you give up Mejia for him?
trs86
5/14/2010-9:44am at 9:44 am (UTC -4)
LOL, hell no. Who are we talking about here? Zamby? De La Rosa? Either way it’s a rental. I am not sure I give up Holt for a rental.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
Why would they want Castillo when Fontenot pretty much gives you the same thing for much less money?
trs86
5/14/2010-9:32am at 9:32 am (UTC -4)
2 reasons, Lou wants a lead-off hitter AND either they do that or they have to eat 12M on Zamby’s contract. No one is going to give full price.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/14/2010-9:44am at 9:44 am (UTC -4)
But Fontenot has pretty much the same stats as Castillo if not better. Similar OBP, higher BA and SLG. They both don’t K much and have good speed.
If I were the Cubs, I wouldn’t even do Castillo and Fontenot trade let alone include big Z.
trs86
5/14/2010-9:47am at 9:47 am (UTC -4)
That’s the point, it’s not about Castillo for Fontenot. It’s about Zamby and his money. You either gotta pick up a lot of his cash or take on salary in return. There is NO team that would take on all of Zamby’s contract for prospects.