Hello people, and welcome to today’s rumor mill for Major League Baseball!
We’ve got some pretty good rumors today, so you might want to check for yourself and read about them, especially if you are a baseball fan.
Is Roy Oswalt still getting shopped by the Houston Astros?
Will he be staying in Texas, but don a Rangers cap?
Is Kosuke Fukudome getting traded by his Chicago Cubs?
More on these rumors and more in today’s MLB Rumor Mill!
So read on.
Enjoy.
Mike Puma of the NY Post is reporting that “a player friendly with Roy Oswalt ” said the Astros 32-year-old pitcher would approve a deal to the Mets.
The Astros have been in the bottom of the league all season and Oswalt, who has a no-trade clause, told the front office that he would rather be traded than go through a rebuilding process with the team. Because of the no-trade-caluse he has some say in where he lands, and has asked the team to only deal him to a contender.
The Mets have been in need of a veteran pitcher all season long, but until now it was unclear whether or not Oswalt would accept a deal to the Mets because they seem both on the verge of contending and irrelevancy this season. If this is true that he would accept a deal to Flushing, it is unclear whether the Mets will pursue him heavily.
He’s still quite an effective pitcher; he’s got a 3.16 ERA and his losing record has more to do with his team’s weak offense than anything he’s done. The problem is the amount of money he is owed is quite substantial. He is in the fourth year of a five-year deal, and is owed $16 million next season plus a $2 million buyout if the Mets decided against picking up his 2012 option that is worth $16 million (it is almost impossible to imagine them picking up that option).
So unless the Mets decide to add quite a lot of money to their payroll they aren’t likely to make a deal. Houston could eat some of his salary, but it is more likely that they would prefer to keep him rather than do that. If this turned into a deal breaker for the Mets they might be able to convince the Astros to pay some of that salary if they sent some strong prospects to Houston.
This is good news for the Mets, but it remains unclear that they will actually pursue a deal. Still, it’s nice to know that if they want to they can.
Like this post? Want the latest Mets news and rumors? Subscribe to Flushing Baseball Daily via RSS Reader , by Email , Twitter , or Facebook . You can also follow this post’s author, Rob Abruzzese , on Twitter.
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Hello and welcome to today’s MLB Rumor Mill!
I haven’t done a rumor mill for Major League Baseball in a couple of days, so now here is one today!
Is there a possibility that Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt could go to the New York Yankees or Washington Nationals? It could be possible.
More on that and other rumors on today’s rumor mill for the MLB!
So sit back, relax, and read today’s MLB rumor mill.
Hope you enjoy it!
This late in the season, it is rare to see bona fide stars sucking, but that’s what you get from Nate McLouth , Aramis Ramirez , Chone Figgins ,or Jake Peavy . All of these guys were drafted with expectations of big fantasy numbers, but all have floundered this season. These are the types of guys who are too good to suck for an entire season, so stick with them or trade for them and expect things to get a lot better very quickly. They all have way too much talent to continue down their current paths.
Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues that require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:
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Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week:
1. Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball not named Roy Halladay . He gets the Rockies at home and the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Gotta get me a double scoop of this guy this week and hope he’s not hopped up on dope during the season.
2. Chad Billingsley gets two home games (vs ARZ, vs ATL) and has won four in a row, striking out at least five in each of those contests. Jump in and hang on for the week.
3. Justin Verlander will get two weak opponents (vs CLE, at KC) just as he’s turning around his slow start. Verlander will be big this week, so be a part of the action.
4. Roy Oswalt is trying to build his resume. By pitching his best for the next month, he is more likely to find a few suitors who are willing to meet Houston’s high price for his talents. Two home games against Washington and the Chicago Cubs will be great opportunities for you to enjoy those resume building stats.
5. Hisanori Takahashi isn’t likely to continue this torrid pace, but ride him while he’s hot. A road game in San Diego and a home game versus Florida will provide ample opportunities to keep it up.
Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com . Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.
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Its been suggested by ESPN and the Detroit Free Press the Tigers might be possible suitors for Roy Oswalt. The question both sources state is whether the Tigers have enough young talent to pull off a deal.
Buster Olney suggests the market for veteran pitchers might be a buyers market, as there are quite a few pitchers expected to be on the block.
Oswalt is a proven pitcher who is throwing very well this year. The Tigers could use another proven pitcher, and they might actually have some pieces to entice the Astros.
I think the Tigers would need to offer two top tier talents to get Oswalt. The first two which come to mind are Daniel Schlereth and Ryan Strieby. I think any deal between the Tigers and Astros will include Strieby for two reasons: one, he is very close to being major league ready and two, he has no position in Detroit and will fill a need in Houston.
Lance Berkman is on the down side of his career, Striby would be able to take over at first base and provide Houston some much needed pop. The Tigers might offer other pitchers, the ones which make the most since to me are: Schlereth, Andy Oliver and Armando Galarraga. A lower tier pitcher(s) will probably be added as well.
I think using Strieby and one of the above pitchers would be a good place to begin discussions. The Tigers management has always been good about trying to make the Tigers better both now and in the future
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I remember rumors about Adam Dunn or Alex Rodriguez heading to the Dodgers at one point in time and just thinking about how it made me laugh because the likelihood of the Dodgers getting any highly-priced player was doubtful.
Even in a big market city like Los Angeles, the Dodgers never spent the money needed for an A-Rod, Dunn, or any ace pitcher for that matter.
The Dodgers have always been known for building from within, and most Dodger fans liked this idea, but when it hasn’t won them a World Series in over 20 years, they start to wonder.
Then the Manny era began.
No one would have believed it if you told them the day before the trade, that one of the best right-handed hitters of all time would land in LA. That huge trade set off an explosion in the fan base commonly known as Manny Mania and even Mannywood.
Could there be another highly-priced player coming to the Dodgers?
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers have inquired about Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners and Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. Both teams happen to be in last place in their respected divisions and both players have insisted on wanting to leave.
For example, Oswalt recently suggested waiving his no-trade clause and asked to be traded from Houston, and Lee has certainly made it clear to the Mariners that he does not want to pitch in Seattle for much longer.
Contract-wise, Oswalt is signed through 2011 and has a much larger salary than Lee. However, this is the last year on Lee’s contract and he is likely to test the free agent waters this winter.
So, which is more likely?
If you look at most of the trades the Dodgers have made over the past few years, they have done the “rent a player” strategy, which is trading for players who are on their last year of their contract and basically renting them for the last half of the season, and they usually leave to the free agent market that winter.
Manny Ramirez, Jon Garland, Jim Thome, Julio Lugo, and many other players have come to Chavez Ravine for this reason. Luckily, the Dodgers were able to retain Ramirez but at a high price.
The classic “rent a player” in this case, would be Lee. The problem with this strategy is that in order to obtain a player of his stature, the Dodgers would have to dig into their bag of plentiful prospects in the minors and basically give them away assuming Lee doesn’t re-sign with the Dodgers.
Here’s the good news though: Manny has said that this will be his last year in LA.
After his contract is finished, the Dodgers will have $25 million to play with to use for a couple players in Manny’s place. It is likely that the Dodgers could attract Lee in the offseason, with or without a trade.
Do you catch my drift?
Now, the big downside to this scenario of trading for a veteran ace is trading top prospects like Dee Gordon—an amazing young shortstop—or players already in the major leagues like Xavier Paul, Manny’s apparent heir to left field next year, or John Ely or another pitcher.
Either way, the Dodgers will lose some brilliant young talent for a player who might only stay a half of a season. Here’s a little information on the two pitchers.
Oswalt, who will be 33 in August, is a right-handed pitcher with a 10-year career in Houston, posting a 140-76 lifetime record. Oswalt has had two, 20-game winning seasons and for the first time last year, did not win 10 or more games in a single season. Oswalt is not known for his strikeouts as much now because of his increasing age.
This is one good pitcher to have on any rotation because he is consistent and he has stayed healthy for almost his whole career. Oswalt has posted a 3.20 ERA and 1,542 strikeouts over his career and is 3-6 with a 2.36 ERA this year.
Lee, who will be 32 in August, is a left-handed pitcher who has had a nine-year career with Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Seattle, posting a 92-54 record. Lee has been pretty inconsistent throughout his career and has just recently found his grove. Most people do not know this unless you look at his numbers, but Lee’s ERA tends to jump up and down every season.
From 2004, his first full year in the majors, his ERA was almost five and a half, then the next year it was 3.79, then 4.40, then 6.29, then 2.54. It has only been the last three years that Lee has been able to post consistent numbers.
Out of his nine career seasons, he’s only been able to stay healthy in the majors for five.
In 2008, Lee won an incredible 22 games, only losing three. Unfortunately, Lee hasn’t really posted numbers anywhere close to this before. His best season before that was in 2005, when he went 18-5. Overall, Lee is a very good pitcher and can boost any team’s rotation.
Oswalt or Lee would be great additions to the Dodgers and could possibly help them in a World Series-run this fall.
It is not certain if the Dodgers will indeed trade for one of them because it will be hard for a team like the Astros or the Mariners to trade their ace (although the Mariners have three potential ace-caliber pitchers including Lee, Bedard, and Hernandez) and it will be hard for the Dodgers to let go of potential young stars in the making.
My opinion: If you ask me, I would rather trade pitching prospects for Oswalt only because the Dodgers already have a young core of pitchers including Kershaw, Billingsley, Ely, and Monasterios. Adding a well-known, consistent, veteran like Oswalt will only help the Dodgers develop these young pitchers.
As of now, the Astros do not want to trade Oswalt, but they might change their mind if the right package arises around the right time. If the Dodgers do make a deal, I’d expect it to be on July 31 as always, and we’ll only know last second what Colletti and McCourt pull out of their sleeve.
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A few days ago, an MLB.com report noted that the Washington Nationals have expressed interest in the Astros ace, Roy Oswalt.
The Nationals are currently 24-23 in the extremely competitive NL East, and with all five teams having a shot, the addition of Oswalt to any of the five would push them to the top of the division.
In Washington’s particular case, though, Oswalt would make a perfect addition.
To start with, the Nationals’ pitching has not been very effective. Livan Hernandez is holding his own, but John Lannan and Craig Stammen are struggling badly. Scott Olsen is hurt, and Jason Marquis is going to be out for awhile. As a result, it’s likely the Nationals could slip down the standings, so they will want Oswalt sooner rather than at the deadline.
If they’re still competitive at the trade deadline, though, then a combination of Oswalt, Hernandez, Stephen Strasburg, and Marquis would suddenly make for a very effective rotation.
Speaking of Strasburg, he does not seem like he would need a mentor with how well he’s been pitching. If he should need one, though, who better than Oswalt? Plus, Oswalt and Strasburg would make for a great one-two punch, which you need if you want to reach the playoffs.
There are a couple roadblocks to this working though. If the Nationals do fall due to injuries or other issues, and end up near the bottom of the division, Oswalt is not going to want to go there. He wants to win now, justifiably so since the Astros are going nowhere.
Also, where would you put Oswalt? As banged up as the Nationals are now with pitching, in August Marquis, Chien-Ming Wang, and Jordan Zimmermann will all be back. That’s at least six able starters in the rotation, so someone will have to head to the bullpen. (By then, going to the minors wouldn’t accomplish much of anything.)
That’s not saying the Nationals can still pull it off, but they’ll likely have to send one of the veterans over in a trade, and I couldn’t see the Astros wanting people who are just coming off the 60-day DL, though you never know.
I could bash the lack of run support that the Nationals have as well, but many NL East teams are in the lower half of the league when it comes to that. That just shows how valuable great pitching is in that division.
If the Nationals can go into the next two months with a game plan that handles what they will do with every pitcher who is on the DL and every pitcher who’s struggling, if they can figure out what they’re willing to give up to grab a playoff spot this year, along with any other caveats, and if they feel Oswalt is worth it, then they should go for it.
It’s a shame that they probably could not get him now; they need Oswalt in June, and July more than they need him in August and September. All we can do now is wait and see, especially with Washington’s pitching situation.
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Last week, it was announced that right-handed starting pitcher Roy Oswalt requested a trade from the Houston Astros.
The three teams that were rumored to be the favorites for Oswalt were the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers are believed to be interested as well.
However, some Yankee fans wondered and speculated if Oswalt would come to the Yankees, or if they could get a decent package together worthy enough to get Oswalt. One writer on here even did a column centering around a package that included Javier Vazquez and prospects to get Oswalt, which many of you thought of as unreasonable and unlikely, a feeling I shared as well.
Today, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees all but killed any rumor of involving themselves in the Oswalt chase. Heyman said one Yankees official told him that, “we like our rotation the way it is right now.”
It makes sense that the Yankees wouldn’t need to pursue a starting pitcher right now given how well their rotation has been.
Andy Pettitte is 6-1 with a 2.62 ERA, A.J. Burnett is 5-2 with a 3.55 ERA, Phil Hughes is 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA, CC Sabathia is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA and Javier Vazquez is 3-4 with a 6.69 ERA (23-11 overall record for the five Yankee starters).
A lot of people wondered if Vazquez was going to be removed from the rotation after his 1-4 start, but he’s been very strong in his last three outings, one of which was a relief appearance against the Red Sox. In his last start, he kept the Mets to one hit over six scoreless innings for his third win of 2010.
If Vazquez is starting to come around for the Yankees, then they really won’t need to pursue pitching, especially after they re-acquired Chad Gaudin yesterday. Gaudin will be in the bullpen for now, but can be an emergency starter if needed.
With the Oswalt speculation out of the way, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal did bring up an interesting point in his story yesterday.
If and when Cliff Lee becomes a free agent, the Yankees would be more interested in pursuing Lee after the 2010 season, rather than parting with prospects right now in order to get Oswalt.
This tactic from the Yankees is nothing new, and if anything, it’s a smart one and the right move.
We know how well Cliff Lee can pitch in the American League and in the big games. All you need to do is re-visit Games One and Five of the 2009 World Series where Lee won both against the Yankees, and Game One was a complete-game gem at Yankee Stadium.
We don’t know how well Roy Oswalt would pitch in the American League and especially in the American League Playoffs because he has spent his entire career in the National League with Houston.
Since the Braves, Cardinals and Nationals came up, a lot of people feel like Oswalt is more comfortable pitching in the National League, rather than moving to the American League.
Plus, there have been multiple sources that have said that Oswalt doesn’t want to come to New York, whether it be with the Yankees or Mets.
Now, we are also two months away from the July 31 trading deadline. As of right now, the Mariners, currently in last place of the A.L. West at 18-28, are not shopping Lee. At least not right now, considering things can change in two months.
If Lee did get dealt somewhere else, like the Dodgers, who have made inquiries to Seattle, it could change things in the offseason, but a lot of people feel that Lee will test the market to get a major payday before the 2011 Season.
All of this seems like it’s so far away since it’s the end of May and baseball season is only two months in, but given that this could very well be Pettitte’s last season and Vazquez will be a free agent next season, the Yankees will be looking to replenish the rotation in the future.
They have done this thing before, such as when they decided to sign Sabathia in free agency over trading for Johan Santana and then signing him long-term, like the Mets had to do.
Right now, the sights of the Yankees is on the 2010 season. But deep somewhere in the back of their head, Lee’s availability is floating around.
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Tony Jackson’s report on ESPNLosAngeles.com Wednesday reported that the Dodgers are not discussing bringing Roy Oswalt. Too bad too, because that would have been the most perfect marriage since Bobby and Whitney’s.
Perfect may need rephrasing. But it’s still ideal.
The Astros claim they have no interest in dealing Oswalt at this point, but just like when Roy Halladay went to the Phillies, it’s going to happen and all that matters is when the Astros decide to look ahead to 2011. If Oswalt is getting fed up in Houston and publicly asks for a trade, why not send him off to a team with one of MLB’s top farm systems?
Sorry Billy Beane, but the Dodgers turn their talent into playoff wins, so they get the edge here. Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, and James Loney are just a few players that have left L.A.’s farm recently to make All-Star appearances and big impacts in the League.
Any Astros fans think they could use bats like that, on a team with the MLB’s lowest batting average?
If not, we can improve your IQ with a brain swap with Paris Hilton. She’s game.
But the real winner here is the man himself. Oswalt is 15th in the majors with a 2.66 ERA, yet is 2-6 due to the lowest run support in the league.
And people are surprised he asked for a trade and questioned the direction of the team? He’s 32-years-old and a top-tier pitcher—he deserves a chance to be dealt to a contender for all he has done in 14 years with the organization.
Name another All-Star pitcher with that kind of tenure. The best (and only) answer is Mariano Rivera. Now name one on a losing team. The answer is no one.
Put him in blue and he fits tighter than Panic! At the Disco’s jeans. The Dodgers score nearly 5 runs per game, which are more runs than Oswalt’s opponents have scored in all ten appearances. L.A. hitters bat over 50 points higher and starters have more than double the wins than their Astros counterparts.
There’s a reason the Dodgers won 12-of-15. And it’s not Chavez Ravine’s all-you-can-eat right field pavilion, a.k.a. God’s gift to baseball fans.
Dodger Stadium has to be another reason Oswalt would waive his no-trade clause good-bye. He goes from the launching pad of Minute Maid Park to the spacious confines of the same stadium where Hideo Nomo actually looked decent.
If you need a clue about how small the juice box is, ask Brad Lidge. Albert Pujols devoured his soul.
Look at it from the other side now. The Dodgers need a front-line starter. The reason they won their last title? Orel Hershiser dominated 1988, leading the league in wins, win-loss percentage, complete games and shutouts. The reason the Yankees and Phillies met in the World Series last year? Lee and Sabathia owned.
If this is a coincidence, then LeBron will go to the Lakers. I’m praying.
Oswalt slides into the Dodgers rotation perfectly as the veteran leader and mentor. They tried it with Greg Maddux, but he was past his prime, unlike Oswalt. While Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley have good stuff, they don’t have the experience and poise which the Astros’ ace steps to the mound with every game.
And experience matters. The problem with the Dodgers past two playoff bouts with the Phillies was that Joe Torre didn’t know who should fill out the shortened three-man rotation. Kershaw? Billingsley? Hiroki Kuroda? A seven-game series requires a stud you can go to for games one, four, and seven.
Dodgers fans can tell you they don’t trust those three names for three starts in a series. And don’t rely on Charlie Haeger’s knuckle toss to be a big threat on the mound—a good pitch requires an actual chance of not being hit into orbit every time.
But Oswalt has pitched in a World Series, faced some of the greatest hitters of all-time (despite steroids), and dealt fire through his nine years in the Show.
Rick Ross has a word for people like this: Boss.
So what’s the moral of this story, kiddies? Get the deal done. If you have a chance to get a pitcher with a career 3.21 ERA and 65% winning percentage, make more secret phone calls than Tiger Woods to do it. Frank McCourt, let the Astros know you’re not a businessman, but a business…man. Yes, you are having legal and marital issues that are consuming your time, but everyone forgives you if you are winning.
And if it’s money you need, call Woods. He’s soon to be supporting only himself.
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When it comes to Roy Oswalt, my thoughts basically come down to this: I don’t blame Roy Oswalt for wanting to be traded.
He’s such a great pitcher who plays for bad teams. I always feel bad for players like this. They are playing like superstars but are playing for pitiful teams like the Houston Astros.
He’s a great pitcher who has had a great start to the season. His ERA is at a respectable 2.66 but currently holds a 2-6 record. As a reward for him pitching so well this season, he absolutely deserves to be pitching for team that can give him some run support.
The Astros are definitely not a team that can help Oswalt win right now, or in the future. They’ve scored an MLB-low 133 runs this season.
It’s been recently rumored that the Dodgers are interested in acquiring Oswalt.
The Astros are not looking to trade him at the moment, but signs are pointing that he will not be playing in Houston past July 31.
It’s also interesting to note that there still is a possibility that Oswalt still has a chance to pitch in the state of Texas for the remainder of the year. I’m from northern Texas and am a Rangers fan, so this is very exciting to know that Rangers’ President Nolan Ryan has expressed interest in bringing Oswalt from Houston to Arlington.
According to ESPN.com, Oswalt has about $28 million left on a five-year, $73 million contract he signed before the 2007 season, including the $2 million buyout on his $16 million club option for 2012.
I would say that Roy Oswalt could be nice fit for the Rangers considering that they are actually winning their division right now, unlike the Astros who are dead last in the NL Central.
Oswalt told reporters recently that he does have two years left on his contract and during those final two years, he would really like to go back to the playoffs, considering he hasn’t been there since 2005.
Oswalt said that he likes Houston but doesn’t see the Astros making a push to the playoffs this season. He made a good point in a recent interview. He said that he loves Houston but if you start spring training not expecting to win the World Series every year (which seems to be the case in Houston), then there’s really no sense in playing.
If Roy Oswalt goes to a team that is currently in first or second place in their division, then I would be happy for him, no matter where he ends up. So many fans and so-called experts out there want to know if his desires to be traded are just selfish or actually reasonable.
The right answer would be very reasonable! How would you feel if you were a great baseball pitcher who plays for a terrible team? I don’t blame him for this. I’d want to leave too.
You might not agree with me about that, but just remember…
That’s how I see it…
David Carter
Check me out on other websites:
www.twitter.com/davidcarter9016
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