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Its official! Roy Oswalt is now a Philly. Oswalt waived his no-trade clause to join the red-hot Phillies and hopefully win the National League East (insert Boos from Braves & Mets fans). Oh yeah he’s also getting $31 milion in small unmarked bills, I hear.
The Astros receive J.A. Happ who just came back from the DL. They also get two minor leaguers—Anthony Gose (OF) and Jonathan Villan (SS).
In terms of fantasy value, Oswalt will now receive a hell of a lot more run support which will equate to more wins. For the year, Oswalt had eight losses with three or less earned runs.
Joining a winning team is exactly what Roy wanted and his chances of winning a ring with the Phillies has increased a thousand times over the Astros. Oswalt, Halladay, and Hamels are now the Miami Heat of the Northeast.
Written by Evan Marx exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com
Written by Evan Marxexclusively for TheFantasyFix.com . You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter @fantasyfix_evan .
Follow us on Twitter for more updates @TheFantasyFix.
Here are some more articles that will not self destruct in ten seconds…
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“All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.” – W.C. Fields
This quote not withstanding, it wasn’t all that long ago that NO ONE wanted to play in Philadelphia.
The franchise, founded in 1883, was closing in (and has since surpassed) 10,000 losses. It had but one world championship to its name (1980), and not even a sniff of a pennant since 1993.
Hardly a winning tradition.
Not only that, but some of the players themselves didn’t even think the management cared about winning. Hard to blame them when team president Bill Giles said the Phillies—which play in the fourth largest TV market—were a “small market team.”
So, Scott Rolen forced his way out of town to the “Baseball Heaven” of St. Louis.
Curt Schilling wiggled his way out, too.
J.D. Drew sat out an entire season just to re-enter the draft so he wouldn’t have to play for the Phillies.
In Veteran’s Stadium, they had a run-down, multi-purpose doughnut with a carpeted-concrete playing surface, and rats that were bigger than the cats.
In essence, it was a dump. Ah, but it was our dump!
Then, in 2002, things started to change.
Jim Thome signed as a free agent with the Phillies after the team, the city—and the fans—put on the full court press to woo him.
With him in town, excitement started to build as fans began to look toward the opening of their new ballpark.
And on April 3, 2004, on a chilly, raining afternoon, the Phillies opened their brand new ballpark.
And lost.
Surprise, surprise.
But with the new stadium, and a core of young talent—Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins—the Phillies began to put together the building blocks of a competitive team.
Over time, with the increased revenue from the new ballpark, the Phillies began to spend money.
Then, before and during the 2007 season, they signed free agents like Jayson Werth, and Adam Eaton. Made shrewd waiver wire pickups like Greg Dobbs and J.C. Romero. Made trades for big names like Freddie Garcia.
And made Chase Utley very, very rich, signing him to an $85 million extension.
Then at the trade deadline, Philadelphia found themselves only three games out. For a change, the team was a buyer and not a seller.
They added Tadahito Iguchi to fill in for an injured Utley. They added Kyle Lohse to shore up its rotation.
Granted, not all of these moves panned out (see Garcia, Freddie), but it seemed to mark a philosophical shift in Phillies’ management.
We can actually win here.
That year, aided by a historic collapse by the New York Mets, the Phillies overcame a 6.5-game deficit to clinch its first division title since 1993.
A quick three-and-out at the hands of the Colorado Rockies left a bad taste in the team’s mouth, and fired up the organization for a run at the title the next year.
That off-season, they brought in So Taguchi, Jeff Jenkins, Chad Durbin and Pedro Feliz.
At the deadline, they got Joe Blanton.
After the deadline, they got Scott Eyre and Matt Stairs.
And in October of 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies won only its second World Series title in 125 years.
Fast forward to last year’s trading deadline, and the Phillies are in the running for two of the top pitchers in the game: Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.
Toronto wanted too much for Halladay, so the Phillies traded for Lee, who ended up helping lead the Phillies to its second consecutive National League pennant.
But the Phillies eventually got their man, as the team traded for Halladay this past offseason before signing him to an extension—saying he wanted to come to Philadelphia all along, wishing it was him on the mound instead of Cliff Lee during the World Series against the Yankees.
Ironically, Lee—who was traded to Seattle in the offseason before getting traded again to Texas last week—has stated he never wanted to leave Philadelphia.
It took more than a century of primarily bad baseball, but suddenly Philadelphia is a desirable place to play—and get paid, as Ryan Howard’s five-year, $125-million contract extension will demonstrate.
In fact, the Phillies payroll has increased five-fold over the last decade, from $27.3 million in 1999 to an estimated $143 million this year.
But when Citizens Bank Park has had 90 consecutive sellouts, you can afford to be a little more loose with your payroll.
Which leads us to today, where the Phillies once again got the best available pitcher at the trading deadline in the form of Houston’s Roy Oswalt.
The two-time defending NL champs will now throw a potent 1-2-3 at the top of their rotation of Roy Halladay (perfect game this season, 2003 AL Cy Young winner), Roy Oswalt (2005 NLCS MVP), and Cole Hamels (2008 NLCS & World Series MVP).
It used to be that only the Yankees were the ones that swooped in at the deadline and during the offseason to get the big names.
Growing up in Philadelphia, you hate anything that’s good for New York. Anything .
Having a father whose childhood was marred by the 1964 Phillies’ collapse, I’ve heard countless times the cynicism of “don’t worry, they’ll blow it.”
No longer.
Now, it’s Philly making the moves.
Now, it’s the Phillies spending the money.
With little more than 48 hours left before the trading deadline, the Phillies have served notice that they will not let Atlanta take the division without a fight.
Because they’re the Philadelphia Phillies.
And that’s how they roll. (Now.)
Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com and Philly.com
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Roy Oswalt has officially been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Houston Astros are getting three players in return for their ace.
The Phillies will be sending southpaw pitcher J.A. Happ, minor league outfielder Anthony Gose, and minor league shortstop Jonathan Villar to the Astros.
Houston is also paying Philadelphia $11 million for the deal.
Begin Slideshow
The Phillies got their man this afternoon according to FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Phils sent left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ, minor leage outfielder Anthony Gose, and minor league shortstop Jonathan Villar to the Astros for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt.
The Astros will also pay $11 million of an approximate $23 millon owed to Oswalt through 2011.
From Rosenthal:
In exchange for Oswalt waiving his no-trade clause, he will receive an increase in one part of the buyout of his $16 million mutual option for 2012.
If the Phillies pick up their end of the option, Oswalt can decline his end, become a free agent and receive a $2 million buyout instead of the $1 million in his current deal.
If Oswalt chooses to decline the option on his own, he also will receive a $2 million buyout.
Of those prospects I think Villar offered the most long-term upside to the Phillies. Although he’s made upwards of 40 errors this season at Lakewood, he’s only 19-years-old and has shown great promise both at the plate (.272/.332/.358) and on the base paths (38 steals).
With no other discernible short stop prospects in the minors, Villar was the only possible long-term replacement for a seemingly fragile Jimmy Rollins.
Happ, of course, offered great value to the Astros. He’s a talented and cheap ($470,000) starting pitcher who’ll be under their control until 2015.
While he’s yet to have a true breakthrough season, Happ has showed great promise in his stint with the Phillies last year.
Gose, like Villar, is only 19-years-old, and playing at High-A Clearwater he was very impressive. He’s hitting decently (.263/.325/.385) as their lead-off hitter, but his bread and butter is his blazing speed (37 steals and 11 triples).
He needs some refinement in his technique – he’s been caught 27 times – but that can be learned.
Gose also is a premium defensive outfielder, using his speed to run down balls and using an arm that many scouts thought was good enough to get Gose drafted as a power pitcher. Think Michael Bourn with a good arm.
I think Ed Wade has once again made the Phillies a better team by being the Astros GM. While I like Villar and Gose as prospects, the Phils were able to acquire a top of the rotation pitcher plus $11M without giving up any of their premium prospects (Jonathan Singleton, Jarred Cosart, Brody Colvin, Trevor May, or Domonic Brown).
I won’t say the Phils fleeced Wade completely, but Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro may have helped redeem himself a little bit in the eyes of some very disgruntled fans.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Roy Oswalt and cash in exchange for J.A. Happ, Anthony Gose, and Jonathan Villar according to MLB Network.
The Phillies Get
They create the type of one-two combo they could have had, except that they opted not to keep Cliff Lee once they acquired Roy Halladay in the off season.
With most pitchers you would be concerned with the move to a hitters ballpark, but it is not like Oswalt has called a pitcher’s paradise home in recent years. He has been better on the road (2.68 ERA) this year, but his 3.96 ERA at home is nothing to complain about.
It’s not like he is an extreme fly ball pitcher (36.0 percent in 2010 and 31.9 percent for his career) or gives up a lot of home runs (0.91 HR/9 in 2010 and 0.78 for his career). That should translate to Citizens Bank Park, you would think.
He hasn’t been overly lucky this season, with a .283 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and 73.3 percent strand rate. His control has always been a strength.
The one concern may be his strikeout rate. He currently has a K/9 of 8.4. That’s a full strikeout better than his career mark. In fact, since 2005 he’s only had a K/9 above 7.0 once (7.1 in 2008).
If he were to regress there, his WHIP and ERA would likely suffer slightly, because he would give up more hits (assuming his BABIP remains consistent). Yes it’s a slight concern, but not enough. He actually only had one big strikeout month this season (44 K in 38.1 IP in May).
He’s going to continue to be an above average pitcher, now with the ability to win games. It’s a big boost in his fantasy appeal.
The Astros Get
Happ had great numbers in 2009 (12 W, 2.93 ERA and 1.23 WHIP), but he also benefited from an 85.2 percent strand rate so his ERA is a bit deceiving.
Like Oswalt, the ballpark will not be a factor, but he goes into a far worse situation to get wins. That’s a huge hit on his value, as was his less then stellar numbers during his rehab (5.97 ERA).
Then again, he’s shown more strikeout potential in the minor leagues (9.3 K/9 over 528.0 innings prior to 2010), so you would expect the lefties 6.6 K/9 in the majors to improve with experience.
He’s got value in deeper formats, but is not likely to be a must start in 2010. He projects more as a pitcher with a high three, low four ERA for the rest of the year, so don’t expect much more than that.
Gose is an outfielder who was ranked as the Phillies’ sixth-best prospect prior to the season by Baseball America. He is best known for his defense and speed. He had 76 stolen bases in 96 attempts last season, but has struggled slightly this year.
He has 36 stolen bases, but has been caught 27 times at High-A Clearwater. He also needs to improve his ability to make contact, having struck out 103 times in 418 at-bats thus far this season.
Villar is another speed guy, though as a shortstop. He’s hitting .272 with two home runs and 38 stolen bases at Single-A this season, though he too struggles with strikeouts (103 in 371 at-bats).
Neither prospect is close to making an impact.
What are your thoughts on the deal? How is Oswalt’s value affected? What about Happ’s?
Make sure to check out our trade deadline analysis:
Yunel Escobar for Alex Gonzalez
Alberto Callaspo traded to the Angels, Dan Haren traded to the Angels
Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers
Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers
Keep checking www.rotoprofessor.com for all the fantasy fallout from the deadline deals!
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Roy Oswalt is now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Breathe easy, Phillies fans; the Fightins now have arguably the top front three rotation in the National League East and must once again be considered the favorites to win the division, if not the NL pennant.
But for some fans, the Oswalt acquisition will mean only one thing: Couldn’t the Phils have just kept freakin’ Cliff Lee?
The answer, obviously, is sure.
But here are four reasons the Phils are better off with Oswalt, nonetheless.
Begin Slideshow
Well, the deal everyone has been waiting for is finally done. Roy Oswalt has waived his no-trade clause and will become a Philadelphia Phillie, according to multiple reports.
Included in the deal, according to Ken Rosenthal, is pitcher J.A. Happ, outfielder Anthony Gose, and shortstop Jonathan Villar (not Villan). In return, the Phillies will receive Oswalt and a cash amount that still has yet to be verified. However, most believe it’s $11 million.
The Phillies will also add $1 million to Oswalt’s buyout in 2012, but have not exercised his $16 million option by making the trade.
Most believe Oswalt will become the third guy in the rotation, knocking Joe Blanton down to the fourth spot that Happ once occupied. Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels will likely remain the first two, and Kyle Kendrick will round out the rotation at the fifth spot.
It is possible, however, that Oswalt becomes the second guy and knocks Hamels to third.
Oswalt certainly makes the rotation better, but I’m still not a fan of moving Happ. He’s not on the same level as Oswalt just yet, but he’s shown the ability to be a great pitcher in the future, and at a much, much cheaper price.
But, if we didn’t already know it before, this move shows that the Phils are hellbent on winning this year. They’re not thinking about clearing up the cash to re-sign Jayson Werth or worrying about what they’re rotation will look like in three years.
All they see is three potential aces on their roster, an offense that’s heating up, and a shot at playing in October.
So while they might see immediate benefits this season, this trade could have repercussions—both positive and negative—lasting at least two seasons, if not more.
Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com
The biggest name on the trading block this summer has finally been dealt.
Former Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt knew this year was going to be tough. As an aging player wanting to get a ring, he knew his time in Houston was numbered.
Many teams tried to make a move for Oswalt the past month, but there were problems with his contract. Originally, it was thought that the St. Louis Cardinals were the front runner to land Oswalt, but his contract situation could have been in the way to sign Albert Pujols in the future.
Oswalt has two years left on his contract for over $30 million, as well as a team option of over $16 million in 2012. With the addition of a no-trade clause, Oswalt was going to block any trade that did not guarantee that his option would be picked up. However, it looks like his mind has changed.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has reported that the Phillies and the Astros have a deal that would send Oswalt to Philadelphia, while the Phillies would send J.A. Happ along with two minor league prospects yet to be determined. As of right now, we are currently waiting to see if Oswalt will allow the trade to occur. However, I have heard rumors this afternoon that it is a done deal and will break at the six o’clock SportsCenter.
Even though Phillies have been disappointing this year, they’ve started to heat up at the right time. They are currently on a six-game winning streak riding their excellent pitching. With the bats starting to heat up, they are now becoming the team to beat in the National League.
The addition of Oswalt gives the Phillies the best one-two punch along with Roy Halladay. Only 3.5 games back from the Braves and 2.5 back in the wild card, it looks like they are primed to take over the National League. Don’t be surprised to see them not only make the playoffs, but make it to their third consecutive World Series as well.
Even though I’m not a Yankees fan or a Phillies fan, it is important that the MLB creates a big-time rivalry from each league. Notice how the NBA has increased in popularity renewing the Celtics-Lakers in the Finals. Although it is unlikely to happen, it would help create new interest in the game.
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The injuries keep piling up for the Philadelphia Phillies. Throughout the year they have seen Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Ryan Madson, and JA Happ go down with injuries. Now they can add one more player to that list.
Starting center fielder Shane Victorino went down on Tuesday night with an abdominal strain and has been placed on the 15-day DL. In order to replace Victorino on the roster, the Phillies have called up, perhaps, the best hitter still left in the minor leagues, Domonic Brown.
Brown is the future in the OF for the Phillies
Brown was in the lineup last night against the Arizona Diamondbacks and he was roping the ball against Edwin Jackson. Brown is a tall, lanky left-handed hitter, who has one of the more unusual batting stances in the game.
He gets in a crouch and then holds the bat high above his head. His stance reminds me a little of a left-handed Matt Williams. It’s definitely not a stance that a hitting coach would teach a young kid, but it obviously works for Brown.
Brown won’t replace Victorino in 2011, but there is a good chance he will replace Jayson Werth, who is most likely departing via free agency. Brown will be the early favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year in 2011.
Here are some other facts about Domonic Brown.
Age: 22
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
College: None
Drafted: 20th round of the 2006 June Draft out of Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. I wonder if he knows Jake “The Snake” Roberts? He was from Stone Mountain too.
Minor League Stats
2006 Rookie: .214/.292/.265 with one HR and 13 SB’s in 34 games
2007 Low Single-A and High Single-A: .299/.363/.415 with four HR’s and 14 SB’s in 77 games
2008 Single-A: .291/.382/.417 with nine HR’s and 22 SB’s in 114 games
2009 High Single-A and Double-A: .299/.377/.504 with 14 HR’s and 23 SB’s in 106 games
2010 Double-A and Triple-A: .327/.391/.589 with 20 HR’s and 17 SB’s in 93 games
Keith Law Ranking and Analysis
Ranking: No. 14 out of 100 best prospects in baseball in 2010
Analysis: “It’s common in scouting circles to refer to an extremely athletic player as ‘a freak,’ but in Brown’s case, his freakishness isn’t limited to his incredible athleticism, but includes how well he has played in pro ball, despite still being fairly crude as a baseball player. He’s long and wiry, listed as an inch taller than Heyward but 15 pounds lighter, built like a young, lean Dave Winfield.
“As raw as Brown is, he does two things like a longtime veteran: He has a good swing path that should produce significant power as he fills out, and if he can keep his weight back a little better—he leaks slightly to his front side now—he has 30-plus homer potential. His biggest deficiency is in the outfield, where his reads are poor and he doesn’t set his feet to throw, but he has the speed and arm strength to become plus at the position and already runs down many balls he misreads.
So on the one hand, Brown’s game still needs a lot of refinement. On the other, if he does continue to develop, the sky is the limit; he could become a player who contributes in all areas offensively, while providing plus defense in right and even adding something on the bases.”
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UPDATE: Jayson Stark tweets that Oswalt is expected to give the green light on a deal that would send him to the Phillies. However, nothing is official just yet.
UPDATE(2): According to ESPN’s Amy K. Nelson, the Phils will add $1 million onto Oswalt’s 2012 buyout, making it likely that’s the option they’d take. The two sides are also trying to work in a no-trade clause for Oswalt with the Phillies.
UPDATE (3): ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick and AOL FanHouse’s Ed Price are both hearing outfielder Anthony Gose could be the third guy the Phils send Houston. In all, it would mean Happ, Worley, and Gose for Oswalt and $11 million.
After a couple weeks of back and forth talks between the Phillies and Houston Astros, it appears as though a deal could finally be in place. And, according to rumors, J.A. Happ is one of the guys the Phils will have to give up in order to acquire the Astros’ pitcher.
For now, the only two names being mentioned with any certainty are Happ and Oswalt. There are reports that the Astros were pushing hard for Class-A first baseman Jonathan Singleton, but it doesn’t appear as though the Phils were willing to part ways with the young slugger.
Outside of Domonic Brown, Singleton is widely considered the Phils’ best young hitter, and could one day find himself in the majors.
Another name being kicked around in the deal is Vance Worley, the kid from Double-A who was called up for three days before being sent back down. It’s not much, but just seeing him on an MLB roster might have made him attractive enough for Houston.
Other than that, the only thing we’re hearing is a “young pitcher” from the Phils, and a lot of cash ($10-$12 million) from Houston to help pay Oswalt’s salary for the remainder of this season and next year. Oswalt is still owed $5.46 million for the remainder of 2010, $16 million in 2011, and either a $16 million option in 2012 or a $2 million buyout.
Oswalt, however, is demanding that any team he is traded to picks up his option for 2012 or he’ll refuse to waive his no-trade clause. The Phillies have basically said that’s not happening, but there is a possibility they open up talks to restructure his deal in order to keep him around longer at a more reasonable price.
Oswalt does of course have the right to refuse this trade, but it seems unlikely since he’s made it quite clear he wants out of Houston. They’re a team going nowhere and the Phillies are yearly contenders not only for the division, but for the pennant.
There had been talks that Oswalt doesn’t like Citizens Bank Park (since it’s a hitter’s park), and would have preferred the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have, however, dropped out of the Oswalt talks and the Phils appear to be the only team seriously interested at this point.
So if Oswalt truly wants out of Houston, he’ll waive the no-trade clause and spend at least a year and a half with a winning franchise.
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