Tag: Roy Oswalt (Page 4 of 7)

      Rangers talking to Astros about Oswalt?

      June 15, 2010 /

      Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk reported Monday evening that the Rangers and Astros were in discussions about pitcher Roy Oswalt. Calcaterra said that a major league source told him that the teams are “getting closer” to having a deal in place, although the sticking point was whether or not the Rangers could convince MLB to allow them to take on Oswalt’s salary.

      Shortly after Calcaterra’s report started making its rounds, the Fort Wayne Star Telegram debunked the rumor by saying there was no truth to it. The paper even quoted Texas GM Jon Daniels who said, “You can probably figure this one out,” in reference to the trade rumor being false.

      Calcaterra is standing by his report, although he tries to clarify things in an update by saying, “there is a difference between a deal happening and one being discussed.” He also acknowledged multiple times that the Rangers will have an “outrageously” difficult time completing a deal due to their financial constraints.

      Three weeks ago, I myself speculated about whether or not the Rangers would be a good fit for Oswalt. Seeing as how they a) were a contender, b) needed pitching and c) had the farm pieces to swing a deal, that they made a logical trade partner for the Astros. But as Calcaterra and other media outlets have noted, the Rangers have some major financial hurdles to overcome.

      We’ll just have to play the waiting game on this one. While Daniels’ comments make you believe a deal will never happen, this wouldn’t be the first time a GM is being coy about a trade rumor. I still think this story has legs.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Top 10 active pitchers who keep it in the yard

      June 5, 2010 /

      Some pitchers give up 1-2 home runs or more per game, while some of them are masters at keeping the ball in the park. We did a gopher ball list last year, so here is the opposite…the pitchers who give up the fewest home runs per nine innings, and therefore the guys you want in the game when the game is on the line:

      1. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (0.4953)—Amazingly, Rivera gave up 11 home runs his rookie year (1995) and since then, only 50. That’s 50 home runs in like 15 years, or about 3 per season. That’s just sick. No wonder the guy has so many career saves (538).

      2. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (0.7141)—If only Hudson was able to stay healthy for any length of time, he’d be a lock for the Hall of Fame.

      3. Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves (0.7221)—When you have a ball that drops like six feet before it reaches home plate, you’re not going to have a lot of hitters get under your pitches. What you’ll get are lots of ground balls.

      4. Aaron Cook, Colorado Rockies (0.7384)—If you’re a pitcher in Colorado, it’s sort of like being a meatball sandwich in a pizza joint. You’ll get noticed, but only when they run out of pizza…or in this case, when the Rockies aren’t hitting. Still, when you think about Cook and how he’s spent his entire career in Denver, being fourth on this list is quite an accomplishment.

      5. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (0.7385)—A perfect game only added to Halladay’s Hall of Fame resume.

      6. Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs (0.7445)—He’s always angry but always has nasty stuff, and, like Cook, he pitches in a hitter-friendly park.

      7. Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (0.7671)—Lucky for the Yankees, Pettitte’s career high of 27 home runs allowed was when he was with the Astros in 2006.

      8. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (0.7729)—He has an impeccable nose for the strike zone, but puts enough on his pitches to keep hitters guessing and in the park.

      9. Jake Westbrook, Cleveland Indians (0.7999)—He hasn’t pitched much in the last three years, but when he does, Jake Westbrook is very good at keeping the ball in the yard.

      10. AJ Burnett, New York Yankees (0.8213)—As if the Yankees needed another guy like this in their rotation.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      External Sports, MLB

      Oswalt won’t face fine after ejection

      June 2, 2010 /

      Roy Oswalt can sleep a little easier this week knowing that his wallet won’t be lighter following his ejection during a game against the Nationals on Monday night. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Astros’ ace won’t face further disciplinary action.

      “I felt that Roy Oswalt had been punished enough by his ejection (and) the Astros had been punished enough by his ejection,” said Major League Baseball vice president Bob Watson, who is in charge of discipline for the league. “That’s the bottom line.”

      Home plate umpire Bill Hohn ejected Oswalt in the third inning Monday after a brief exchange with the pitcher.

      Oswalt said he was expressing frustration after a throwing a ball, but Hohn, who has not commented on the situation, clearly believed otherwise. The two then exchanged words, with Oswalt saying he told Hohn “I’m not talking to you,” before getting tossed.

      “I was hoping I wasn’t going to get fined for saying what I said,” Oswalt said. “I thought it was kind of quick on his part. Nothing I did towards him (warranted being) tossed out of the game.

      “To be talking to myself on the mound and to get thrown out, I didn’t see the point of that.”

      Assuming Oswalt wasn’t jawing with Hohn the entire night leading up to his ejection, Hohn comes off looking like just another power-hungry umpire. Some guys feel a sense of empowerment each night when they umpire a game and overreact when they feel a player has shown them up.

      That said, umpires don’t have it easy. They get it from players, managers and fans on a nightly basis and I don’t blame them if they want to flex some of their power in order to get a situation under control. Still, it sounds as though Hohn overacted to what Oswalt said and it’s good to see that the pitcher won’t face any further punishment.


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      External Sports, MLB

      Dodgers inquire about Lee and Oswalt, but are they serious about making a move?

      May 27, 2010 /

      According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers have asked the Mariners about starter Cliff Lee and the Astros about ace Roy Oswalt, although a trade of any sort seems unlikely at this point.

      Even if the Dodgers were to agree to take on salary, the chances of a trade could depend on how deeply the Mariners and Astros wish to rebuild. The Dodgers’ top prospects are at the lower levels of the minor leagues, so the team would be an unlikely trade partner should the Mariners or Astros want a trade package to feature talent ready for the major leagues.

      The Mariners might demand a more attractive prospect package because a half-season of Lee would come at $4.5 million. That would be one-fifth the cost of Oswalt, who is signed through 2011 — or one-ninth, if Oswalt asked the Dodgers to pick up a 2012 option in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause, for a total financial commitment of $39.5 million.

      Even if a trade is unlikely to go down, it’s amazing to think that the Mariners could trade Lee this year. When they acquired him from the Phillies last winter, the hope was that he and Felix Hernandez would form the best 1-2 punch in baseball. But the M’s offense has been so bad this year that not even Lee or King Felix can do anything to help the club. Seattle has scored the least amount of runs in the American League and the second least in baseball. Only the Astros have scored fewer runs in the majors this season.

      Getting back to the Dodgers, I wonder if this is their way to appease their fans after a lackluster offseason. Due to Frank McCourt’s ongoing battle with Jamie McCourt, the team didn’t break out their checkbook this past winter and fans weren’t too pleased with that given how close the club was to competing for a World Series last year. But if the Dodgers make it public that they’re interested in Lee and Oswalt, then it gives their fans the impression that they’re still willing to make a big move in order to win.

      It’ll be interesting to see whether or not L.A.’s name comes up again if/when the Mariners and Astros put Lee and Oswalt on the market.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Report: Astros not ready to trade Oswalt

      May 26, 2010 /

      A source tells Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the Astros aren’t looking to trade Roy Oswalt despite his request to be dealt to a contender.

      A source with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that despite Oswalt’s request, the Astros aren’t looking to trade the right-hander and three-time All-Star at this point. But that could change as the summer moves along and the July trade deadline nears, especially if the Astros continue to languish in the National League Central cellar.

      While the Astros are not shopping their ace, Fox Houston reported on Tuesday that Rangers president Nolan Ryan reached out to Houston to express interest in Oswalt.

      It’s interesting that the article mentioned that the Rangers have interest, because I detailed over the weekend why Texas would be a great landing spot for Oswalt if the Astros decided to trade him. You can read it here.

      It would be rather ridiculous if the Stros didn’t trade Oswalt at some point this year. Their farm system is dried up and Oswalt isn’t going to be around when the club eventually starts competing again. To not get something for him now would be unwise, especially when he still has plenty of value to a contender.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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