Kuzul

Right about now, it’s not easy being Lance Berkman or Roy Oswalt.

Talk about a lost puppy in a big city.

Both former Houston Astros icons are in new cities and with new teams, and both appear to be having a difficult time adjusting to their new surroundings.

Oswalt was rocked in his first start with the Phillies, while Berkman has notched a mere two hits and one RBI since donning pinstripes with the Yankees.

Oswalt’s second start for Philadelphia was much smoother, although still resulting in a no-decision, as the former Astros ace threw 6.1 solid innings in what eventually ended up as a 5-4 Phillies win over the Marlins in 10 innings.

Berkman, meanwhile, has been switched into a role he is very unfamiliar with after spending his entire career in the National League with the Houston Astros: the designated hitter for the New York Yankees.

He has had one opportunity to play defensively at first base for New York, but Berkman’s time on the field will be extremely limited as the Yankees feel the slugger can best be used in the DH role and in the everyday lineup.

And that’s probably true, to be perfectly honest.

Oswalt and Berkman will both be missed in Houston, there’s no doubt about it.

But after those two left town and the Astros have been forced to work with younger talent, the team put together a seven-game win streak—including a 9-4 win followed by a blowout 18-4 win over the Cardinals at St. Louis—before dropping the series finale at Busch Stadium.

It’s a hard pill to swallow, and it’s honestly tough to realistically admit, but the Astros absolutely appear to have a bright future.

In addition, rumors have recently be circulating that Berkman would like to return to Houston after this season if he becomes a free agent.

Will it happen? Doubt it.

But could it happen? Absolutely.

Regardless, the Astros amazingly appear to be heading in the right direction.

Maybe I should begin having more faith in Ed Wade and company after all…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

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With baseball’s trading deadline in the rearview mirror, it’s time for fantasy owners to move on to more pressing matters; mainly, to focus on their own league’s cut-off date for trades and transaction.

Commonly, fantasy deadlines are situated somewhere in the second or third week of August. (Although if your league bares any resemblance to mine, the REAL trade deadline has triggered an abundance of swaps in the past week.)

Keeping this in mind, here are several trade tidbits to help you out into your foray in fantasy commerce.

Don’t Deal Just To Deal

Many owners get the itch to renovate their roster. Yet the most prevailing problem in fantasy trades is that exchanges are executed strictly on the premise of the owner’s penchant for action.

I assume this same sentiment is at the core of all gambling addictions. While a trade can liven up your league, bare in mind the excitement is fleeting. The last thing you want is buyer’s remorse, so appraise and assess each proposal with care.

Shoot for the (Underperforming) Stars

If a high pick has not achieved his predicted potential by August, the consensus seems to indicate that it’s time to part ways with your selection.

I can personally echo this approach, as four months of frustration can cause you to despise the mere existence of a team member.

As an opportunistic owner, you want to cash in on this resentment. Numerous fantasy participants judge a player’s worth on their seasonal stats. In reality, you want to dive deeper and examine the month-by-month numbers of an athlete.

For example, Mark Teixeira has performed admirably this season, but his 2010 output has not validated his top-10 projection. But after discounting the Yankee first basemen’s abysmal April, we find that Teixeira is one of the best five hitters in baseball over the past three months. It’s this type of analysis that can help you get a superstar for less than 80 cents on the dollar.

Let Statistical Standings Dictate Deals

This rule alludes to the “trade just for the hell of it” theory. The goal of your dealings should be to boost your standings in a statistical department, most notably when there is a negative discrepancy between yourself and the rest of the league. If you are near the top in home runs, don’t be afraid to sacrifice some of your power to obtain a better average.

Less Is More

If you have built up substantial depth on your squad, consider turning three of your “good” assets into two all-stars. This theory tends to favor hitting, especially when your trade partner is struggling to fill a certain position. This also allows you the opportunity to take a risk on the waiver wire to complete your empty roster spot.

Monitor League Maximums

Some leagues have inning or game limits implemented to ensure a competitive balance. If this rule applies, monitor your accumulated totals. Trade away players whose positions are projected to reach this limit in favor of spots where the estimated figure is far from the ceiling.

In a related note, half of my league just came to this realization of an imposed inning/game max, correlating to a flurry of fire sales that would make the 1998 Florida Marlins proud.

And finally…

Stay Away from Yankees

Unless you actually live in New York, it’s unacceptable to side with one in pinstripes. Granted, this eliminates some of the better players in fantasy, but having a Yankee on your roster is a portal for bad karma, so avoid this transgression as much as possible.

Start ’em

Francisco Liriano , Minnesota Twins. Liriano has been lights-out his past four starts.

Since getting knocked around in Detroit on July 9th, Liriano has pitched 28.2 innings, giving up just two runs while striking out 33. On the year, the lefty is 10-7 with a 3.18 ERA, and is second in the AL in strikeouts.

Sit ’em

Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee first baseman asserted persistent trade rumors wouldn’t affect his play; his stats seem to contradict this claim. Fielder is 2-for-his-last-22 at the plate, with zero homers and no RBI.

Fantasy Flashback

1911 Joe Jackson . Unfortunately, Jackson’s current legacy is tied to the Black Sox Scandal, which led to being portrayed by Ray Liotta in Field of Dreams.

It’s debatable of which offense is worse.

Jackson’s career deserves higher praise for his contributions on the field. And in 1911, he put up one of the finest hitting displays in baseball history. “Shoeless Joe” finished with a .408 batting average to go along with a league-leading .468 OBP, 41 SBs, and 126 Rs.

Waiver Wire Watch

Drew Storen, Washington Nationals. After Matt Capps was shipped to the Twins, the Nationals announced a closer-by-committee configuration would be employed. However, for those looking to add some possible saves, Storen is the safe pickup. Through 33 innings in 2010, Storen has 28 Ks and a 2.45 ERA.

Rookie Review

Chris Johnson, Astros. Since being recalled to the Majors in June, Johnson is batting .364 with four HRs and 19 RBI. Johnson just had a 14-game hit streak snapped at the hands of the Brewers on August 1st.

This Week in Jonathon Broxton

Broxton’s been in somewhat of a rut, blowing a save against rival San Francisco on July 31st.

Personally, I think Broxton has been pedestrian on purpose, lulling his opponents into thinking he’s human. This delusional hope will only aid the Ox and the Dodgers on their home stretch for a playoff bid. Trust me, Big 51 will return to his “kickin’-ass-and-takin’-names” form within the next week.

Trade Talk

This has been alluded to in previous fantasy fever articles, but if you’re employing the services of one of the multitude of talented rookies, sell when the price is high.

Foreseeing an injury is impossible, but with his impending innings-limit on the horizon, how many Strasburg owners are smacking their foreheads at turning down multiple trade requests?

Big League Chew Player of the Week

Dexter Fowler , Colorado Rockies. Although Fowler has been raking at the plate (in his last four games, Fowler went 10-for-20 with six runs and five RBI), it’s his defense that earns him this week’s distinction.

Clinging to a slim lead in the ninth, Fowler crashed into the outfield wall in pursuit of an Alfonso Soriano fly ball, maintaining the catch and preserving Colorado’s win over the Cubs. Unfortunately, Fowler’s hustle could direct to a stint on the DL, as the centerfielder is dealing with bruised ribs after the collusion.

Spit Your Tobacco At

Alex Rodriguez , New York Yankees. It’s bad enough that baseball purists have to see another historic number become tainted. The fact that A-Rod is taking this long to accomplish said feat (homerless in the last 43 ABs) is just an extra kick in the groin.

Your “Dumb and Dumber” Quote of the Week

Lloyd: I said, “Do you love me?” and she said, “No, but that’s a really nice ski mask!”

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Houston Astros fans should not feign felicity.

They should not dance in the streets surrounding Minute Maid Park, host vivacious celebrations, or cheer as if the August rain will soon turn to gold. They should feel disillusioned, upset, and hungry for change. If the 2005 World Series qualifies as the franchise’s peak, last week was its ultimate valley.

The Astros fell into a state of such disrepair that management needed to trade two icons to give the team a chance to compete.

Let that previous sentence marinate. Since when do the words “icon,” “trade,” and “compete” belong together? Drayton McLane should know the answer now.

I will not try to convince fellow fans that the jettisoning of Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, two players whose numbers will one day hang in the Juicebox rafters, should inspire hope and happiness. I must, however, back off a bit from the column I penned Thursday afternoon.

In my rush to publish something just after the announcement of the Oswalt transaction, I failed to put the circumstances that forced Ed Wade to deal his ace into proper perspective.

Some of my points are inarguable. What Wade and McLane executed is undeniable.

The Astros dealt Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies for 27-year-old, left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ and two teenage prospects, Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose. Wade then flipped Gose, a speedy outfielder, for Toronto Blue Jays’ prospect Brett Wallace, a potential starter at first or third base. McLane agreed to kick in $11 million of the money remaining on Oswalt’s contract.

None of the players fetched Thursday will star in Houston as Oswalt did. Happ will not challenge the record for all-time wins, and any jersey retirement talk is premature and silly.

Wade and McLane paid the New York Yankees to take Lance Berkman. The two throwaway prospects landed in that deal are inconsequential. Berkman, a former All-Star with Hall of Fame-caliber career stats, was donated to a franchise with 27 championships.

I also stand by my contention that Philadelphia won the deal’s first round in a rout. The Phillies are trying to win a pennant, and Oswalt, despite his nightmarish debut, can help them do that.

Did the Astros secure the best possible deals for Oswalt and Berkman? Will the players brought to Houston help the squad make the playoffs in the next three years?

In my crazy, idealistic world, I wanted Wade to turn his best players into prospects who would make the answer to both questions a resounding “yes.” I wanted Wade to get back fair value. I wanted two trades to jumpstart the restocking of a depleted, embarrassing farm system.

Stupid me. A more realistic Astros fan helped me find earth.

I should have processed a few things Thursday afternoon. Teams often deal stars from a handicapped position. Oswalt’s trade request afforded the Astros little leverage with which to net the best possible return.

The Tampa Bay Rays, the club with the finest farm system, did not need or want a veteran as expensive as Oswalt, even if McLane agreed to fork up $11 million. The other outfits with standout prospects could hang up on Wade for a similar reason.

That forced the Astros to send their best player to the team with the least to offer. The Phillies emptied their minor league stock by stocking up on key pieces like Roy Halladay to continue chasing World Series triumphs.

Happ, also, could exceed my expectations. I was struck by the number of Philly fans disgusted to see him go. He began his Astro tenure with a shutout performance. Most projections peg him as the third or fourth man in a playoff-caliber pitching rotation. Maybe he can become a second wheel.

The Berkman salary dump is more difficult to rationalize, but it can be done. Two veterans in their mid-30s, no matter their importance and association with Houston, were not going to aid the rebuilding process.

I also do not doubt Wade’s claim that Oswalt had become a clubhouse distraction. He might seem like a nice guy, but even a gentleman can morph into a horse’s ass if he’s tired of losing and frustrated enough.

Astros fans should remember Berkman and Oswalt fondly and then come to grips with the same reality I accepted over the weekend. If McLane could not trade his way back to another World Series, why did I expect a pair of deadline deals to fix a franchise that took years to break?

The Astros fall was steady, painful, and elongated. Expect the rebuilding years to also be steady, painful, and elongated. Manager Brad Mills needs a lot more youth and talent on his roster before he can be fairly evaluated for his work. Wade needs a few more years to get his rebuilding plan in motion.

Then, we will know if McLane hired the right guys to tackle two of the toughest jobs in baseball. Where the Astros must go from here is clear. How they get there remains as much a question mark as Happ, Wallace, and Villar.

The Yankees and Rays provide polar opposite models for McLane and Wade. It is clear now that the Astros brass much choose the latter. McLane will spend money but not enough to enter Yankee territory. The Bronx Bombers now have Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Berkman, and Mark Teixeira, among others, in their hitting rotation? Ridiculous.

I cannot see McLane ever sanctioning a payroll that tops $150 million, which is what he would need to shell out to build that kind of a lineup.

The Rays’ model takes much longer to mimic but costs a lot less and carries less risk if certain experiments fail. Tampa Bay used to be a laughingstock, but years of prudent drafting (and, yes, they signed their draft picks) and deals that yielded primo prospects lifted them into contention.

The Astros will not compete again as they did in 2005, given the unlikelihood of another pitching rotation that includes Oswalt, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte, so they must travel the alternate route. Repairing the shattered farm system will require time and patience.

If Wade can pay someone to take Carlos Lee’s exorbitant deal off his hands next summer, the Astros will be in the thick of the rebuilding business.

Wade locked up Brett Meyers with a multi-year extension and now has Happ. Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, and Happ could become a terrific, reliable pitching rotation, provided the front office can unearth an ace and a fifth wheel.

Wallace is ready to step in to the lineup and can play first or third base. Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence are keepers. Ditto for Jason Castro and Tommy Manzella.

A funny thing happened after Wade sent Oswalt and Berkman packing. Call it good karma. The Astros won their fifth game in a row Sunday afternoon, blanking the Milwaukee Brewers. The streak will not continue, nor will the ‘Stros suddenly become that feel good story that makes a shocking playoff appearance.

This club will still lose more than 100 games. A winning record remains years away.

Still, McLane should see this as confirmation from the baseball gods he did the right thing. The stubborn owner no longer needs to utter the dreaded “r” word. His actions last week did all of the talking.

The Astros are rebuilding and reloading. If trading Oswalt and Berkman was a rock bottom moment, the franchise’s brain trust should know now it cannot fall any farther.

Sometime before the end of this decade, the Astros will be good again. All of the players on the roster will want to play in Houston and they will play hard. Then, fans will know last week was worth it.

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(Coral Gables, FL) – After a disappointing 1-2 in a three game set with the Washington Nationals the Philadelphia Phillies are heading on the road for a three game set with the Florida Marlins.

For the Phillies a three game set with the NL East third ranked Florida Marlins is coming at the worst time. The Phillies are 25-31 on the road this season and with the Marlins only four games back of the Phillies for second place in the division the Fightin’s will need to gain ground in Florida if they want to catch up to the Atlanta Braves.

As I mentioned a week ago the Phillies have become the walking wounded . The team is still weeks away from getting Chase Utley back from a surgically repaired thumb, Shane Victorino is on the 15-day DL and to top it all off the Phillies are now putting Ryan Howard as day-to-day after he rolled his ankle as second base in yesterdays 6-4 extra inning win against the Washington Nationals.

The Phillies are sitting two and a half games back of the division leading Braves and are in the midst of a nine game stretch against divisional opponents. Luckily for the Phillies their pitching match-ups for the division side in their favor.

Game 1: Roy Halladay (12-8) v. Sean West (0-0)

Phillies ace Roy Hallady starts off the series against an unknown foe in Sean West. West has been called up from AAA-New Orleans where he was 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA. Halladay has done substantially well against the Marlins this season going 2-1 1.08 ERA, and oh, yeah one of those wins was a perfect game.

Halladay has controlled Marlins hitters as Hanley Ramirez, Cody Ross and Dan Uggla have gone a combined 10-40 against Hallady with eight strikeouts.

With the Phillies repleted lineup they will need to rely on players like Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins. Werth is hitting a lowly .182 against the Marlins, most of that on his much publicized hitting slump. Rollins, who has hysterically hit well against Florida will get his first outing against the Marlins as he was out of the previous series nursing his injured calf.

Game 2: Kyle Kendrick (6-4) v. Anibal Sanchez (8-6)

Sanchez is coming off a strong one-hit outing against the San Francisco Giants and looks to do the same against the Phillies. He is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA this season against the Phillies and has averaged on six and a third innings per outings against the Phillies.

Kendrick is 1-0 against the Marlins and has pitched pretty well since his three day stint in the minor leagues. In his last two starts he has pitched 13 1/3 innings recording eight strikeouts and has held opposing batters to only 10 hits.

The key to this game will be the run support Kendrick gets. If you look at his season numbers when the Phillies hit Kendrick shines.

Game 3: Roy Oswalt (6-13) v. Chris Volstad (5-8)

In the final game of this three game set all eyes will be on the newly acquired Roy Oswalt. After a not so stellar outing in his Phillies debut where he allowed five runs on seven hits in only six innings of work, Oswalt will look to redeem himself with the Phillies faithful.

The only thing that could hurt Oswalt are his career numbers at Sun Life Stadium. In three games at the Marlins Roy Oswalt is 0-2 with one no decision. In 2009 he was drilled for 10 runs in only six innings of work and the year before he was 0-2 with an 11.2 ERA.

Dan Uggla has suffered against the new Phillies going 2-15 with an .133 batting average, striking out five times.

As you can see, other then the Kendrick v. Sanchez match-up, the series could look very positive for the Phillies. It will be important for the Phillies to get wins in the series because as the number two and three teams in the NL face each other the Braves will attempt to distance themselves as they take on the sinking New York Mets.

The Phillies have an off say Monday with game one starting Tuesday night and hopefully that full day of rest will allow Ryan Howard’s ankle to heal and possibly make him eligible for games two and three.

Now that its August it is time for the Phillies to make one of their historical late season runs towards the playoffs. With Utley weeks away things are looking up but the Phillies are definitely showing signs of late season wear. Lets just hope, for our sake, all of the injury setbacks are behind them.

Complete Phillies Coverage on Eternal Mulligan or on Twitter .

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Let me just preface this by saying that pitchers, as a whole, are much more difficult to predict than hitters, at least as far as the rest of their career goes. Pitchers are much more susceptible to random, career altering injuries, discovering new pitches, and other unusual events; therefore, there is a much greater element of randomness.

Also, the Hall of Fame seems much more unclear on what constitutes a Hall of Fame pitcher, outside of 300 wins. The last starter elected by the Baseball Writers Association (essentially, what you think of when you think of the election process) was Nolan Ryan, back in 1999.

Before him, the last choices were Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, and Tom Seaver. You may notice two things about that group. First, every one of them has 300 wins. In fact, the Baseball Writers haven’t elected a non-300 game winner since Ferguson Jenkins (only 284 wins) back in 1991; whether this says something about the Hall’s electors or the quality of pitching in that time, I can’t say.

Second, every one of the aforementioned pitchers started their career in the 1960s. Yes, apparently, it has been over four decades since any Hall of Fame starter began his career.

This doesn’t even account for the erratic process they use to elect relievers; there is no obvious milestone, or, really, any sort of standard (if you’re looking for a good example of such oddities, look up one of Joe Posnanski’s articles comparing Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter and Dan Quisenberry).

Nevertheless, I want to cover every position for the the future of the Hall of Fame; and so, I begin with my first round of pitchers.

(Note: I used Baseball-Reference for WAR throughout the article. Fangraphs calculates pitching WAR a different way, and uses a more standard scale, but they only have numbers from 1980 on. Feel free to check it out if you’re interested, though.)

(Another note: There are a lot of pitchers. Surprising, I know. So, I broke them up by division; this article will be on the AL and NL East pitchers, with ones for the Central and West to follow.)

Begin Slideshow

Another year and another trade deadline dominated by the Philadelphia Phillies quest to acquire a starting pitcher. Last year the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee near the trade deadline, and this year they have acquired another front-line starter.

The Phillies acquired Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros for JA Happ and minor leaguers Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar. The Astros will pick up $11 million on Oswalt’s contract and the Phillies will not pick up Oswalt’s 2012 option, which was a sticking point for a while.

With the acquisition of Oswalt, the Phillies now have a one-two punch that, in my opinion, is the best in baseball. I don’t think there is a team out there that can rival Roy Halladay and Oswalt as a one-two punch.

With this trade, Ruben Amaro Jr. has finally solved something that has been an issue for the Phillies the last three years—the quest for a legit No. 2 starter. The Phillies have always had an ace for the last three seasons, but their No. 2 starters were more like No. 3s.

With Oswalt, the Phillies have One and One-A.

Oswalt had a 3.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 8.37 K/9 rate (second highest of his career) in 20 starts for the Astros. He is consistently touching 93 on the gun with his fastball and his curve is as good as it’s ever been.

He will make his Phillies debut on Friday against the Washington Nationals.

For the Astros, they get Happ, who I’ve always liked. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, but has suffered from an injury plagued 2010. Happ isn’t a No. 1 type starter by any means, but he should be an above-average starter for the Astros for the next several years. He is under team control until 2014.

Villar is a 19-year-old shortstop who was hitting .272 with 38 stolen bases in 100 games for Single-A Lakewood this year. He is not a power guy, but with 82 career stolen bases in three minor league seasons, it looks like he has speed to burn.

Gose, who was the third player received in the deal, was immediately shipped off to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brett Wallace. Wallace, if you remember, was in the Matt Holliday trade last season. In the past three years, Wallace has been traded three times and has been on four different organizations.

I guess it’s better to be wanted than nobody wanting you at all.

Wallace becomes the Astros first baseman of the future. He was hitting .301 with 18 home runs and had a .359 OBP in 95 games for Triple-A Las Vegas this season. He was ranked the 27th best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America prior to the season.

I think it was an okay haul for the Astros. The key to this deal will be the development of Wallace. If he can turn into an All-Star caliber first baseman for the Astros then this trade will look solid for them in the future.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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If there’s anyone like me who wasn’t a true fan of the move to bring in Roy Oswalt, you’re probably hoarse from screaming at your TV all night long.

Oswalt was incredibly erratic in his Phillies debut as he and the team fell to the Washington Nationals, 8-1.

Of those eight runs, Oswalt allowed four earned, five total. He also allowed seven hits, two walks, and struck out only four in six innings of work.

Is it just me, or could J.A. Happ have done that?

The Phils had better hope that Friday night was an aberration for Oswalt, and that he’ll come back strong in about five days or so, because if he has another showing like that, the Philly police might have to set up a border around Ruben Amaro Jr.’s home and keep watch for crazed fans.

But on a more positive note, Jayson Werth did hit a home run.

And back to the negative: the Phils offense once again looked anemic as they were only able to muster six hits, most of them meaningless, and struck out eight times.

It’s tough to get too down on them after the run they’ve been on recently, but it’s hard not to see the cycle starting again.

Especially when the guys had two errors in the field to go along with their poor showing at the plate.

Joe Blanton takes the mound for game two, so there’s no telling how this game will turn out.

If he gets into trouble early and starts walking guys, it’s going to be a very long night. However, if he’s placing his fastball, it should be fairly easy to hold down this Nationals lineup.

Oh, and if Jimmy Rollins could get a hit and stay healthy for more than a couple games at a time, that’d be great.

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Various media sources are reporting the New York Yankees have acquired Lance Berkman from the Houston Astros to be their DH.

This is clearly in reaction to the Phillies acquiring Roy Oswalt, as they don’t want to look as though they did nothing during the trade deadline, while the Phillies vastly upgraded their team.

They say that the only reason the trade has not gone through are the MLB rules that a team must wait 24 hours until after a player with a 10-and-5 player, someone who has spent 10 years in the league, the last five with one team waives his NTC. 

By trading Berkman and Oswalt in the last few days, there is absolutely no question what mode the Astros are in. They are sellers and they are committed to it, which is great, but the sad thing is that they could not get a big name prospect because of Berkman’s large salary, and so were perfectly happy to get rid of it.

The Steinbrenners approved the acquisition of a large salary because it was what their father would have done, why mess with success? This shows that even with the death of George Steinbrenner the Yankees will continue their free spending ways, and as well they should. Hopefully the sons some day put their own stamp on the organization but for now it will be run the way the Boss would want it.

By adding Berkman the Yankees get a beast of a DH, even though the Yankees have a solid offense. We all know the glowing things I want to say about Berkman. So let’s just get to the Yankees. 

The Yankees already boast one of the best, if not the best offense in the MLB. In terms of runs scored, they are number one, fifth in homeruns, fourth in batting average, and sixth in hits. Did they really need to add another bat to their lineup? Is this just the envy that the Blue Jays have way more homeruns? Your guess is as good as mine.

However, when you look at the Yankees pitching, a different story emerges. They are ninth in ERA. Not bad but not great, which is what you need to compete with playoff teams and we all know the Yankees only care about the playoffs. They are also fifth in WHIP, which is phenomenal considering they play in Yankee Stadium but only fifteenth in saves and they have the Sandman, Mariano Rivera!

Say what you want, the Yankees clearly needed pitching more than they needed the offense they get from Lance Berkman. I guess they just thought the price on Berkman was great. So if you have a great deal why plug your holes with a mediocre one?

In the end, I think they should have gone after Oswalt and Lee harder and try to get something done there. A lot of complaints is that after Sabathia, and Pettite but after that the pitchers just tail off. They should upgrade their pitching in my opinion, even if that comes at the price of part of their offense. 

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Things couldn’t get better for the Philadelphia Phillies.

They just landed the best pitcher on the trade deadline market in Roy Oswalt. And now they have a nice saying for their farm system: Two Roy’s are better than one!

Ruben Amaro Jr. continues to make some solid trades and finally made another great one.

It all started when he traded for Cliff Lee in last year’s trade deadline. Lee performed well and helped the Phillies land a spot in the World Series against the New York Yankees. Sadly, the Yanks won to get their 27th World Series title.

Then the offseason came, and Roy Halladay was available. He traded Lee to the Seattle Mariners for the best pitcher in baseball. So far, the Phils have not been let down or unsatisfied.

Halladay has pitched well, including that perfect game he had earlier in the season.

The Phils are also coming off a great win against the St. Louis Cardinals, winning their eighth straight game along with their eleventh straight at home.

And what could make things better as they face a bad team where their star pitcher can perform well in? I think Oswalt can get a no-hitter in his debut with Philly.

Okay, yeah, you’re right.

I’m taking it too far right there.

But, if you haven’t noticed, things couldn’t get better for Roy Oswalt either.

He was the best pitcher and player on the trade deadline market, and many teams wanted to go after him.

And now he went from joining a bad team like the Houston Astros to the hottest team in the league with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies can now easily pass the Atlanta Braves in the National League East division if they can keep their consistency going.

Oswalt can also fix his ERA along with that 6-12 record during the rest of the 60 games of the season. Then, once the playoffs hit, we might see Oswalt getting real hot.

But let’s start it off slow with the Washington Nationals. I say the Phils win today’s game as well as this series. What do you think?

The only thing that could make this better is if Stephen Strasburg were starting tonight.

Enjoy tonight’s game!

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Every year, there’s always one move around the trade deadline that affects the rest of the MLB season or even the playoffs.

Much like last year when the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee in July, they made a move for this year’s best available pitcher: Roy Oswalt.

Adding Oswalt to a rotation with Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay means the Phillies have the best rotation in the Nation League. Despite being currently 2.5 games behind games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, they are now the team to beat in the NL.

This trade turned the Phillies from a team who could miss the playoffs to a team that could make it to their third straight World Series.

But this is a good deal for the Houston Astros, too. Being 17 games under .500, it’s obvious that they need to move on without Oswalt’s $16 million contract.

They were able to add J.A. Happ and two minor leaguers that can help them rebuild during the offseason.

While the immediate results may not prove it, over the long run this deal can help both teams out equally. The Phillies have a great chance of getting in the playoffs, and are  talented enough to win a seven game series with Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt at the top of their rotation.

As for the Astros, the rebuilding process has now started. The question is, how long will Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee be in Houston?

Only time will tell.

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