Phils closing in on Oswalt deal?

[MR. FMF]

From ESPN

One day after it appeared that the talks had lost momentum, Roy Oswalt just might be heading to the Philadelphia Phillies after all.

According to a report on Fox 26 Sports in Houston, the Astros have agreed on a deal to send Oswalt to Philadelphia, pending Oswalt's approval. The TV report says the Astros have approached Oswalt about the deal and the club is awaiting his response. The Phillies have agreed on the amount of money Houston will take back in the deal, but the station did not report financial terms.

The report comes after ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported late Wednesday night that the Phillies and Astros have intensified talks in the last 24 hours, but "major financial" obstacles remain that could still stand in the way of this trade being completed before Saturday's trading deadline.

Officials of multiple teams that have been speaking with the two clubs said Wednesday they believed the Phillies and Astros were close enough to agreeing on the players who would go to Houston that the players were no longer viewed as a major obstacle. The Astros would receive pitcher J.A. Happ, plus prospects. But the teams were said to be "not in total agreement" yet on the prospects.

However, one source told Stark there was still "a large gulf" between the teams on how large a portion of the $23 million remaining on Oswalt's contract the Astros would be willing to pay.

Jon Heyman of SI.com reported Tuesday that the Phillies and Dodgers are the most active pursuers of Oswalt, with the Cardinals and Rangers on the periphery.

We've been hearing for weeks about the seemingly ironclad trade demands of Oswalt, so the Astros' ace tried to clarify some of those demands Monday. That could be construed as softening his stance and may have helped spur the new talks.

First of all, Oswalt told Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle that he has no problem being dealt to an East Coast team -- provided it is the right fit. "That's not an issue," Oswalt said. That opens the door for a possible deal with the Phillies.

The other Oswalt obstacle had him demanding that any team seeking his services would have to agree to pick up his 2012 option, which is worth $16 million. "We can work on doing different things as far as restructuring [the option]," Oswalt told the Chronicle.

Read between the lines and maybe Oswalt realized that the $16 million option may have been too much of an obstacle.

[jmwjet2]

how do you feel about this tony? i like oswalt but he gets hurt too much and is damnnn expensive.

[MR. FMF]

Originally Posted by jmwjet2

how do you feel about this tony? i like oswalt but he gets hurt too much and is damnnn expensive.

when he is on, he is really good. however this city has issue with Hamels being "soft" and "inconsistent" neither which are true. i have no idea how Oz is gonna be able to handle the pressure cooker here. i would have preferred them going out and trying to get Matt capps or Kerry wood to help the bullpen or even Fausto Carmona. i did hear that Carmona was plan B though

[jmwjet2]

Originally Posted by MR. FMF

when he is on, he is really good. however this city has issue with Hamels being "soft" and "inconsistent" neither which are true. i have no idea how Oz is gonna be able to handle the pressure cooker here. i would have preferred them going out and trying to get Matt capps or Kerry wood to help the bullpen or even Fausto Carmona. i did hear that Carmona was plan B though

carmona got hammered last night by my boys! and i totally agree about Oz, i dont think he can handle the pressure from the fans and the philly media. he likes being a hick and playing for lowly houston.

[MR. FMF]

Originally Posted by jmwjet2

carmona got hammered last night by my boys! and i totally agree about Oz, i dont think he can handle the pressure from the fans and the philly media. he likes being a hick and playing for lowly houston.

last week there was the talk he didnt want to go to a big market teams (like philly, NY, boston or LA) and like St. Louis cause it was close to his Mississippi home.

[MR. FMF]

and Dom Brown is the shit!

[MR. FMF]

Astro's sending $8 million too

[circle360]

Shit. Guess I should have checked the site earlier instead of posting on your fb page.

I liek Oswalt but im not sure he is cut out for philly. I wonder if he caleld up Lidge and talked to him about philly. Since liedge played with him and can't be too happy the past yr or so.

[MR. FMF]

Originally Posted by circle360

Shit. Guess I should have checked the site earlier instead of posting on your fb page.

I liek Oswalt but im not sure he is cut out for philly. I wonder if he caleld up Lidge and talked to him about philly. Since liedge played with him and can't be too happy the past yr or so.

yeah the "fans" really bitch about Cole being soft and inconstant. if they hate cole i cant wait to see how the casual/bandwagon fan is gonna react to Oswalt.

lidge's problems and unhappiness are by his own performance. the city loved him and gave him a lot of leeway in 09, this year not so much. i guess people will react when you load the bases in back to back nights with 2 outs and a 4 run or less lead

[MR. FMF]

@jaysonst Hearing Oswalt not a fan of Citizens Bk Pk, but he's 4-0, 2.60 ERA in 4 starts-tied with Coors for best win pct at any current park. #trades
... then don't come. this city is gonna kill him

[MR. FMF]

RT @jaysonst Roy Oswalt plans to OK deal to #Phillies, source says. But deal not official yet. More to come on ESPN.com #trades

[jmwjet2]

congrats! now go catch dem braves.

[MR. FMF]

Originally Posted by jmwjet2

congrats! now go catch dem braves.

2.5

[LessThanThree]

Originally Posted by MR. FMF

2.5

You jinxy motherfucker.