As of late, Houston Astros’ ace pitcher, Roy Oswalt, has publicly made it clear that he wants out. It seems clear that Houston and Oswalt have no future of succeeding in the 2010 campaign.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, via twitter, that “Roy Oswalt wants to be traded to a contender, a la Roy Halladay”
It is unclear if that Houston is willing to trade Oswalt or even if they want to become sellers this early on in the season. Well, I’ll take my chances that the Astros are not going anywhere special this year.
The Astros are currently in last place in the NL Central behind the free-falling Milwaukee Brewers and the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates. To me, Houston will definitely be a seller this year, it’s just a matter of who they want to trade away or who they believe can be a core player in up-coming years.
The three big name players that come to mind when you think of Houston is: Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Roy Oswalt. Out of those three players, one of them seems to have little to none trade value; Carlos Lee. But, the others, Oswalt and Berkman, could both be great fits for playoff contenders this season.
Where could Oswalt land? That’s the major question in the “Oswalt Sweepstakes”. The two teams that I can come up with right off the top of my head are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, no surprise. But here’s the surprise, Oswalt going to the Bronx or Yawkey Way will probably not happen. Both teams probably aren’t willing to spend the big dough and to cough up major prospects for Oswalt, and on top of that, they’re pitching rotations both respectful seem to be O.K.
So who are the true contenders this early in the game? Possibly the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Texas Rangers.
The one team that surprises me are the Rays. If they could acquire Oswalt, I truly believe that would put the Rays over the top in the AL East. But with the Mets and the Rangers? Oswalt’s presence would be crucial to each teams’ pitching staff in making a playoff run.
But, let’s face it: Rumors are rumors. All the matters in trading big name players from a “selling franchise” is who can cough up the best prospects. It’s unclear right now if Houston is willing to part ways with the 2005 NLCS MVP, but if they do, they are in the running of acquiring some quality young talent to bolster their farm system.
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