Roy Oswalt to the Braves? Great idea. Won’t happen
There’s this All-Star player, see? And he wants to be traded, see? And he has apparently told folks one of the places he’d be willing to work would be Atlanta, see?
Too bad it can’t happen.
Our story so far: Roy Oswalt, the fine Astro hurler, last week requested that Houston deal him away, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. (Apparently Oswalt has watched the Astros play this season.) Back in April, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reported that a friend of Oswalt’s claimed the pitcher’s preferred destinations would be Atlanta, St. Louis or Texas.
Sounds promising, huh? It’s not, alas.
Oswalt is under contract through 2012 (the final year is a club option) for roughly $16 million per annum. That’s Derek Lowe money. And what did the Braves spend most of December trying to do? Trade Derek Lowe because he makes too much money. (As we know, they wound up trading Javier Vazquez instead, thereby treating us to the inspired outfield play offered up by Melky Cabrera.)
A decade ago, the Braves would have been all over Oswalt. Rule 1 in the Baseball Manual: You can’t have too much pitching. But the Braves and Frank Wren just told us that, with this club and its finances, you can have too much pitching.
The Braves believed shedding Vazquez wouldn’t hurt their rotation. And it’s true that he has been terrible as a Yankee. But he’s also pitching in the American League, which is a whole ‘nother ballgame. Ask Roy Halladay if switching to the NL is like going to pitching heaven.
Regarding the Braves, the reality has been rather different. Only Tim Hudson, who’s 5-1 with an ERA of 2.09, is having a big season. As for the other starters:
• Tommy Hanson is 3-3 with an ERA of 4.18.
• Jair Jurrjens is 0-3 with an ERA of 6.38 and is hurt.
• Lowe is 6-4 with an ERA of 5.30.
• Kenshin Kawakami is 0-6 with an ERA of 4.98.
Taken together, the Braves’ starters are 14-17. (Kris Medlen has had three no-decisions as a starter, though he has pitched well.) Could this team use Oswalt? Oh, yes. Will it happen? Oh, no.
Watch him wind up in Philly.
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203 comments Add your comment
Shane
May 25th, 2010
2:41 pm
Truth is we traded 2 all stars for a rental.
True although ive seen Feliz pitch. He by no means has the best stuff in baseball. Not sure where a closer bats for the AL in the starting lineup like you said earlier either. Matt Harrison is terrible.
Fact is almost all Braves fans were all for the trade when it was made. Hindsight is 20/20. If Tex gets us to the playoffs that year it would have been worth it.
Shane
May 25th, 2010
2:43 pm
Truth is we traded 2 all stars for a rental.
How many All-Star teams have Andrus and Feliz made? Answer Zero.
bruce
May 25th, 2010
2:46 pm
Anywhere but philly, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.
GoodTraction
May 25th, 2010
2:52 pm
Sonny C – we was wonderin where you been . . . you jumped ship on Jeff’s blog and we miss you.
Should the Braves Pursue Roy Oswalt? | Tomahawk Take | An Atlanta Braves Blog
May 25th, 2010
2:57 pm
[...] Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution also discusses the idea as a good one, but as one that simply isn’t going to happen. A decade ago, the Braves would have been all over Oswalt. Rule 1 in the Baseball Manual: You can’t have too much pitching. But the Braves and Frank Wren just told us that, with this club and its finances, you can have too much pitching. [...]
Joey
May 25th, 2010
3:17 pm
Come on, Mark! Ego or not, Chipper will NEVER leave all that money on the table! Even after a competent manager jerks his butt out of that 3rd-spot, he’ll ride the pine and make that $80,000 per game til the contract runs out!
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 25th, 2010
3:23 pm
Roy Oswalt is a gamer. Whoever he winds up with, will be glad they have him. He’s never been flashy or a big name but he’s been Houston’s best pitcher, and one of the more solid pitchers in the NL, for quite a while.
Joey
May 25th, 2010
3:25 pm
For all of you guys ready to ship Esocbar, here’s what a guy wrote on Shutzie’s blog after he made the dubious remark on top. Oh and I agree 100%:
Schultzie: ” Yunel Escobar is enormously talented but has regressed to the point that he’s a question mark now.”
Clay: Huh? Shultzie, did you sleep through last season? .299 average, 70+RBI, second in the league in batting with runners in scoring position (clutch hitting). He’s been on the DL this season and in Bobby’s dog house for a couple of games, but I think he’s earned more than 1/6 of a season before he is deemed a question mark.
Mark Bradley
May 25th, 2010
3:40 pm
Shane, last I checked Neftali Feliz is the Rangers’ closer. And Matt Harrison is a member of the rotation (when not hurt).
Mark Bradley
May 25th, 2010
3:44 pm
Joey, there’s no way Chipper Jones comes back to sit on the bench. No way, I say.
JASON BARBER
May 25th, 2010
3:49 pm
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN ID SAY THE CHANCES OF THE BRAVES GETTING ROY OSWALT WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE PHILLIES CHANCES GIVEN THE FACT RUBEN AMARO JR admitted as recently as yesterday that the phillies farm system has been depleted due to the large number of players they had to give up in the cliff lee and roy halladay deals.Furthermore the braves farm system always has been and always will be significantly deeper than the phillies farm system.THIRDLY Mark bradley knows less about the true innerworkings of the braves and cannot be trusted with anything he ever says about the braves because half of what he says wont happen does and half of what he says will happen doesnt when it comes to trades concerning the braves organization.I have been a braves fan for 35 years and know far more about the braves organization and its players than he ever forgot
Mitchell
May 25th, 2010
3:53 pm
Somehow it doesn’t surprise me at all that he would want to come here. It is the good ol’ boy club after all.
I’d take him though.
Personally, I’d just let the Astros have Matty, Melky and JoJo if they want ‘em. We don’t even need Oswalt in return.
I’d take him though. But not with all that money he’s owed.
Ralph
May 25th, 2010
4:11 pm
I think the only trade the braves should make is BOBBY COX for FREDIE GONZOLIZ. The braves have all the talent they need except a manager that can make up a lineup card.
Woooooooooo!
May 25th, 2010
4:15 pm
It really wouldn’t be a bad idea at all to package Freeman and other prospects for Oswalt, if it was enough to get them to take Lowe with them.
There is nothing that says any prospect is a sure thing. Franceour sure wasn’t. Neither was Saltalamacchia. Nor was Chuck James or Kyle Davies.
Think about ANY prospect we’ve had come up in 20 years. Other than Chipper and, apparently, Heyward, is there a single one that you wouldn’t trade straight up for Oswalt?
Wes
May 25th, 2010
4:16 pm
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! — two words: Barbaro Cantizeras
Needs a break
May 25th, 2010
4:30 pm
Mark…I would love to get on here and see a blog that gets me excited…instead you just end up shattering my hopes…you should also write a blog about how the hawks will never get lebron
athdog
May 25th, 2010
4:45 pm
Wren has made some shaky moves, and he’s made some nice ones, as well. Bringing in JJ and Vasquez, if even for a season. Can’t blame him for not having payroll to work with.
I think the Braves are, at the very best, average until another owner takes over. Liberty seems content to coast along status quo. With few exceptions, corporately owned sports teams don’t seem to reach elite status very often.
Michael in Dunwoody
May 25th, 2010
5:00 pm
Mark, maybe for your next column you can cover NFL hypocrisy: New York City (New Jersey) was just awarded the 2014 Super Bowl. I guess when they complained about the weather in Atlanta after our last Super Bowl they were merely inferring that it wasn’t cold enough.
Einsteindawg
May 25th, 2010
5:11 pm
While it would be nice to have Roy, please don’t trade our future stars for an aging pitcher. Of course, if Houston would take Lowe, KK, and Terry Pendleton as a package deal. I’m all for it. I’d even do a sign and trade with Greg Norton as a bonus to Houston.
Ronald Millsaps
May 25th, 2010
5:12 pm
What is Houston going to want in return? Martin Prado? Freddie Freeman? I wouldn’t trade either. You have to consider also that we have good pitching prospects in the minors.
I like this team, though I want to see the pitching come around. As for Jair Jurrjens, he should be fine upon return. Derek Lowe is showing signs of coming around, and Tim Hudson, yes, has been lights-out. Kenshin Kawakami got off to a slow start last year and then pitched very well down the stretch. Let’s see how he pitches tonight.
It’s time Liberty Media stepped up and spent money. Truthfully, ownership stinks. It absolutely stinks. Do what I do: Boycott the company.
Clay
May 25th, 2010
5:17 pm
Oh ye of little faith. All I ever read from MB is Braves bashing.
bob
May 25th, 2010
5:21 pm
I am sure they would trade him for Heyward and Hansen, maybe even pay a little of his salary. But can he teach hitting?
Ronald Millsaps
May 25th, 2010
5:21 pm
What’s the point about the “good ol’ boy” team? Elaborate.
Elvis Andrus’s or anyone else’s not being an All-Star doesn’t nullify someone’s being a good player. Show some understanding of the game next time.
Roy Oswalt HAS been a big name, and the only reason he doesn’t get a lot of air time (a moot point) is because he plays in Houston and not in Boston or New York– the allegedly-educated part of the country, where every obscure gesture gets unnecessary air time. Oswalt, lest we forget, was the best pitcher in baseball in ‘04 and ‘05. In fact, I’m not so sure I would’ve pitched him in Game 6 against St. Louis in ‘05 because it eliminated all potential of using him three times in the World Series. Phil Garner maybe made a mistake in using him that night; he definitely made a mistake in NOT using Brad Lidge that night.
Hank44
May 25th, 2010
5:24 pm
Everyone knows that pitching and defense will win games. The Braves have pitching so far, but, to add Roy Oswalt to the mix will only solidify them as their pitching is falling apart at times. Down the stretch it will only help to have him in the rotation. Who we give up? Don’t know. But I do know that we can’t afford to give up prospects for him.
Penis McFlanagan
May 25th, 2010
5:29 pm
Great idea? More than 30% of our payroll is already tied up in mediocre pitching and you want to add another has-been to the rotation? How is that a great idea? The only thing we need to do with the pitching is offload Lowe and put Medlen in the rotation. If we trade for anything it needs to be another bat.
Tdawg
May 25th, 2010
5:36 pm
Bradly what is it with you and these washed up players? May be I can see a Lowe for Oswalt deal but that’s about it. Maybe we can sweeten the pot a little by throwing in McClouth maybe even that Milky guy or even KK but that’s it.
R W
May 25th, 2010
5:38 pm
MB
That is why you put a package together of
Medlin/(or)Minor
Cody Johnson
Lower Level prospect
Lowe
for
Oswalt
Player to be named later
MitchC
May 25th, 2010
5:43 pm
Why would any team trade for any of the pitchers we have in our rotation? Even though we have been playing well lately, there isnt a pitcher in our rotation now that I’d want, except Tommy Hanson.
Lowe- Brutal. The only reason he has a winning record with us is that we score tons of runs when he’s pitching.
JJ-Great potential, but injured.
Hudson- Has pitched well, but is getting old.
Hanson-Sometimes struggles, but still has the potential to be great.
KK-Unmentionable.
If I was Oswalt, I’d want to end up in Philly. Right now, they might be the team most likely to win a championship. We know Tampa is playing out of their minds, and we just have to wonder when and if the Yankees will rally back.
Mark may be right. Oswalt to Philly could very well happen.
ET
May 25th, 2010
6:38 pm
Let’s trade Lowe to Texas for Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus & Salty. Hey, we were dumb enough to trade the 3 to Texas for Texeria, maybe Texas will have a brain f-a-r-t and bite on the deal. The Braves can’t be the only dumb f’s in this league. Don’t they always say it all evens out in the end…well it’s time to even out that horrible trade. At the time I said to everybody that the only way the trade made sense was if Texeria had agreed to sign an extension to his contract. Obviously that didn’t happen.
What happened was we gave away a pitcher who throws 100 mph, a SS who has a stronger arm than Escobar & is hitting 300+ & a catcher who Baseball America called the top catcher prospect in the minors for a year & 1/2 of Texeria. It made me puke the day they announced the trade. I felt like my high school sweetheart just left me all over again…And that happened 38 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Roy Oswalt Will Not Be Traded For Stephen Strasburg, But Where Will He Be Going? | cardinals.baseball-news-update.com
May 25th, 2010
6:47 pm
[...] for $16 million in 2012. Also remember that Texas just filed for bankruptcy and, according to Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Braves can’t afford him either. So who does that leave? It leave St. Louis. It makes the [...]
ScottBravesfan
May 25th, 2010
6:47 pm
Philly? Their tapped out on payroll and they are going to lose Jason Werth in the offseason. I would rather spend the money on offense and do something with our outfield.
Oswald will probably end up in Dallas with the Rangers once their ownership problems are solved also don’t count out LA with the Angels. The Nationals are supposedly interested and they have the prospects to actually get him and if they did that would be a huge deal for them. With Oswald and Strasburg forget about the Phillies the NL East would be all about the Nats, especially with their offense and the rotation they got already is pretty good.
ScottBravesfan
May 25th, 2010
6:50 pm
The Astros are trying to cut payroll why in the hell would they take Lowe’s contract back?
Also people that are ripping the Lowe deal were happy when it happen. The guy was money for the Dodgers and the Red Sox it’s not Frank Wren’s fault that the guy gets to Atlanta and forgets how to pitch. The only knock on the deal was the 4th year they signed him for but that’s what it was going to take to get Lowe to come here.
Roy Oswalt to the Braves? Great idea. Won't happen | astros.baseball-news-update.com
May 25th, 2010
7:23 pm
[...] Roy Oswalt to the Braves? Great idea. Won't happen [...]
Delbert D.
May 25th, 2010
7:51 pm
Problems with big contracts? No problem. Get in touch with Alberto (Ears) Marcellino. Last known residence, Miami. It’s an open city, so no problems with other families.
thunderbull56
May 25th, 2010
9:07 pm
Anything for a headline! Yeah I’d take him over Lowe,but what’s your point man? He don’t bat three hundred and he don’t knock down ground balls! ‘Course I could see Wren trading off another class of prospects for another year of mediocrity.
jojatek
May 25th, 2010
9:33 pm
Wren doesn’t realize it yet, but his job actually depends on bringing Oswalt to Atlanta. When the final chapter is written on Bobby Cox’s last season, taking a pass on this opportunity will loom large on the list of short-sighted, penny-wise/pound-foolish decisions that are beginning to define Wren’s tenure (and this franchise). Do it for Bobby… do it for Heyward… just do it!
MitchC
May 25th, 2010
10:36 pm
Mark, do you think Bobby will remove KK from the rotation soon? At 0-7, with it being only May 25, KK had a shot at either a 15 or 20 loss season.
Also, Mark, do you remember a guy named Anthony Young, who pitched for the Mets in the early and mid 90s? The Mets were brutal back then, and Young lost something like 27 straight decisions in a row, before finally winning a game, in spite of having an ERA of like three and a half. Every bit of hard luck seemed to happen to Young. KK reminds me a bit of him.
Mark Bradley
May 25th, 2010
10:43 pm
I do remember Anthony Young, MitchC. But I don’t think Kenshin is there yet. He’s 0-7, but his ERA isn’t off-the-charts bad.
intellibird
May 25th, 2010
10:54 pm
Here’s a clue, Mark. The Braves should have kept Teixera, then we would be actual contenders. The whole league is pretty much a joke and we can thank Selig and the Yankees for that. Maybe the player’s union will figure out that it doesn’t behoove the majority of its members to allow the big market teams to grab all of the best players.
Mark Bradley
May 25th, 2010
10:59 pm
Not sure how the Braves could have kept a guy who signed for $180 million.
intellibird
May 25th, 2010
11:06 pm
Then that just shows that the league is screwed by its pay structure, and I sympathize with teams like the Pirates who lose someone like McLouth. And all of the other small market teams. Where is the uproar? Selig and this inequitable system should have been gone a long time ago!
intellibird
May 25th, 2010
11:10 pm
If we couldn’t keep Teixeira, who had ties to the city, then it is obvious that we will not be able to keep Heyward beyond 5-6 years. That is a real shame. Are you going to throw a monetary figure at me again, Mark?
Coach (2011 or Bust)
May 26th, 2010
12:59 am
Chipper off the books?
Definitely, absolutely. He’s too proud of a ball player to keep embarrassing himself like this. Right now Larry Wayne Jr. projects to finish with about 10-12 HR’s and 50-60 RBI, which if it happens would be career lows for him.
Now, if only Derek Lowe could be traded. Of course that won’t happen even though it needs to, as the Braves continue to keep up the appearance of competing for the sake of Bobby’s last season at the helm.
Our Bravos are 23-22 after 45 games. Frank Wren knows this team has huge holes, he will attempt to fix them even though it’s not the correct course of action. Why? Because Cox will find a way to under manage this team. They will finish with a winning record, they will come up just short of the playoffs. Count on it.
Coach (2011 or Bust)
May 26th, 2010
1:08 am
Small market teams are screwed?
WRONG, wrong, wrong and badly misinformed. Ever heard of the Tampa Rays? How about the Minneapolis Twins?
Two small market teams which win by drafting great athletes, investing in their minor league systems and by playing the game the right way. Winning doesn’t require a 100 plus million dollar payroll. It requires smart baseball minds. The Pirates can’t win because they are a horrible organization with terrible ownership, ditto for the Orioles.
bravefan
May 26th, 2010
1:19 am
yeah we could use albert pujols and ryan braun too! lets just trade glaus and melk-man for them (this is how some folks think in this town!)
intellibird
May 26th, 2010
2:15 am
Okay, Coach 2011, I researched and saw that Minnesota won in 1991 and TB hasn’t won a World Series. Are you going to defend the present system? Look at where the talent is pooling and then tell me that there is equity among teams.
intellibird
May 26th, 2010
2:19 am
Okay, if Pittsburg and Atlanta draft smarter and improve their minor league systems then we can compete with the Yankees. You probably are a fan of the present system and the Yankees themselves.
MitchC
May 26th, 2010
8:47 am
Mark, someone I know whose a Mets fan told me that KK is much worse than Anthony Young. KK’s ERA this year is nearly 5. Young’s career ERA was 3.89, but I understand what you’re saying about KK not being Young just yet.
The Mets fan told me that he does not feel sorry for KK’s 0-7, but rather, he feels sorry for Oswalt’s 2-6 with a 2.66 ERA. That is unreal to think about.
My bet: Whether the Braves are hot, cold, or up and down, Frankie W wont make any moves, because he has no money.
Also, you mentioned the question of Chipper’s contract coming off the books. I’ve always been a Chipper fan, but I hate to say, if his year continues as it is, I really hope he retires after 2010. 10 to 15 mil would be a lot of money this team could use, to sign a much more productive bat than his.
TommyJack
May 26th, 2010
10:03 am
I’ve seen over half of the braves games. Pitchin ain’t the problem. Furthermore, old Bobby (and I like him) just seems to be going thru the motions.
Skeezix
May 26th, 2010
10:05 am
Our dismal record against teams in our own division speaks volumes. But, overall, it isn’t pitching that has been hurting us — it has been the lack of offense. Still, we do need another quality starter and I would love for Oswalt to join the Braves – but it will never happen under this ownership/management group. Us Braves fans are basically screwed — as far as NL Pennants and World Series go–as long as our team is controlled by Liberty Media and idiots like Frank Wren. On the positive side, it has been loads of fun watching young Jason, Hanson, Prado and then Huddy coming back into form. Hinske has been a pleasant surprise. I have resigned myself to another third place finish–maybe we will squeak in there and finish second if Chipper gets his bat going and J.J, has a successful return from the DL.