What the Roy Oswalt trade means for Phillies, others
Article By smcneal.tsn on 29th July, 2010
Seven points about the Roy Oswalt trade to the Phillies:
1. This is bad news for the Cardinals, Reds and any other club thinking wild card. The Phillies already had closed to 3 1/2 games of the division-leading Braves and within 2 1/2 games of the wild-card leading Giants on the strength of a seven-game winning streak that was fueled by an offensive resurgence.
With Oswalt, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, the Phillies have the second-best 1-2-3 rotation trio in the league (after the Giants). Count on the wild card coming out of the NL East, which should make the races in the Central and West even more entertaining.
2. This makes the 2010 Phillies better than the '09 Phillies. When Chase Utley returns, that is. The reason: Halladay, Oswalt and a back-to-form Hamels are better than Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez and whoever was the Phillies' third-best starter last October.
3. The Phillies still shouldn't have traded Cliff Lee. No knock on Oswalt but he's not pitching like Lee. And the Phillies would have had Lee for the entire season, not two months. And ...
4. The Phillies gave up more to get Oswalt than they received from the Mariners for Lee.
Quick review:
For Lee, the Phillies received OF Tyson Gillies, RHP J.C. Ramirez and RHP Phillippe Aumont. At best, Gillies projects as a Brett Gardner-type left fielder, Ramirez as a back-end rotation guy and Aumont, who knows after the way this season has gone. The 6-7 right-hander has been a disappointment, being demoted from Class AA to A where he has been pitching in relief. "He's been awful this year," a scout says. "His command is off the charts bad. He will flash you plus stuff but he can't command. I think he'll end up as a bullpen guy."
To get Oswalt, the Phillies traded LHP J.A. Happ, OF Anthony Gose and SS Jonathan Villar. Even if Gose and Villar don't pan out, Happ already has shown he can win in the major...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
1. This is bad news for the Cardinals, Reds and any other club thinking wild card. The Phillies already had closed to 3 1/2 games of the division-leading Braves and within 2 1/2 games of the wild-card leading Giants on the strength of a seven-game winning streak that was fueled by an offensive resurgence.
With Oswalt, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, the Phillies have the second-best 1-2-3 rotation trio in the league (after the Giants). Count on the wild card coming out of the NL East, which should make the races in the Central and West even more entertaining.
2. This makes the 2010 Phillies better than the '09 Phillies. When Chase Utley returns, that is. The reason: Halladay, Oswalt and a back-to-form Hamels are better than Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez and whoever was the Phillies' third-best starter last October.
3. The Phillies still shouldn't have traded Cliff Lee. No knock on Oswalt but he's not pitching like Lee. And the Phillies would have had Lee for the entire season, not two months. And ...
4. The Phillies gave up more to get Oswalt than they received from the Mariners for Lee.
Quick review:
For Lee, the Phillies received OF Tyson Gillies, RHP J.C. Ramirez and RHP Phillippe Aumont. At best, Gillies projects as a Brett Gardner-type left fielder, Ramirez as a back-end rotation guy and Aumont, who knows after the way this season has gone. The 6-7 right-hander has been a disappointment, being demoted from Class AA to A where he has been pitching in relief. "He's been awful this year," a scout says. "His command is off the charts bad. He will flash you plus stuff but he can't command. I think he'll end up as a bullpen guy."
To get Oswalt, the Phillies traded LHP J.A. Happ, OF Anthony Gose and SS Jonathan Villar. Even if Gose and Villar don't pan out, Happ already has shown he can win in the major...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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