It had been building for a few weeks, but today, with the trade deadline looming, the Phillies made their trade for another ace pitcher. As reported by CSNPhilly.com, the Phillies have acquired Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros for J.A. Happ and minor leaguers Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose. On top of that, the Astros will be picking up $11 million of the $23 million that Oswalt is owed through the 2011 season.
At first glance, this is a great trade by the Phillies and Ruben Amaro. Then, at second and third glance, it looks like an even better trade. No offense to J.A. Happ, but he;s not Roy Oswalt. I loved having Happ in the rotation, but Oswalt is much, much more proven than Happ is and could ever be. Happ's been included in trade talk for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and now finally got moved for Oswalt, and you had to see it coming. The only way that the Phils were going to be able to get Oswalt away from the Astros was to include Happ, so he had to go. When you look at the two prospects that the Phillies sent to Houston, they're just that: prospects. Jonathan Villar looks like a solid defensive prospect at shortstop with good speed, but he struggles at the the plate. Meanwhile, Houston turned around and sent Anthony Gose to Toronto for Brett Wallace, so they already moved him. Gose is one of the fastest players in the minor leagues, but like Villar, he's not great at the plate so far and has no power to speak of. So for now, the deal is just Oswalt for Happ, which I would make 100 times out of 100 if I had to.
Not only that, but the Phillies got Houston to pay for over half of Oswalt's salary through the 2011 season, keeping their own payroll down and allowing them to make a little more room for other roster moves. While this move looks like it means the end of Jayson Werth in Philadelphia after this season, you can never have enough starting pitching, and having Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels as the top three pitchers in your starting rotation is amazing. Add into that the fact that all three of them could potentially be with the team through the 2012 season, and that's a top of the rotation that measures against any in baseball. Yes, the Phils would have to foot the bill for Oswalt's $16 million option in 2012, but they don't have to cross that bridge yet. For now, they just get to enjoy a pitcher who has been one of the best in the National League over the past decade with playoff experience.
Sure, Oswalt has struggled this season, but he still has a 3.42 ERA. The Astros managed just 2.5 runs in support of Oswalt in 20 starts this year, and they were shut out 5 times with him on the mound as well. All in all, he just wasn't getting the run support that he needed to have a solid record down in Houston, and the Phillies are really starting to heat up at the plate, meaning that Oswalt should be a very good fit here with the Phils.
Over the last 12 months, the Phillies have traded for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt. The time to list this team as a pretender is officially over. With each one of these trades, they've moved closer and closer to the territory of the Yankees and Red Sox as a team that you expect to come out and win the World Series every single year. The talent is there at the plate, and now the Phillies have three pitchers who could be a number one starter for most of the other teams in baseball. It's a good feeling to have after watching this team struggle for years. Having this rotation for the rest of the season and next year is going to be a lot of fun.
Thanks, Ed Wade. You seem to make better trades for the Phillies with you in Houston than you did here. Nice job.
CSNPhilly.com: Phillies trade for Oswalt
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