With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline arriving on at 4:00PM on Saturday, July 31st, some big names are in the process of being moved, with Roy Oswalt being traded from the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies and with rumors swirling that Miguel Tejada will soon be traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the first place San Diego Padres.
Tejada to the Padres will help the San Diego club, but it will not have the kind of impact that it would have had when Tejada was in his prime. Tejada, 36, was once one of baseball’s biggest stars but now is a productive, if unspectacular player. Known as a fierce competitor, Tejada could very likely be energized by leaving Baltimore, arguably the worst team in baseball, and joining the first place Padres. The Padres gain a productive enough player, (Tejada is hitting .269 with seven home runs this year) at a relatively low cost. Tejada will make $6,000,000 this year in total; on a prorated basis, he figures to cost the Padres a little over $2,000,000 for the balance of the season. Perhaps as much as his impact offensively, the Padres stand to benefit from his veteran presence and name recognition on a team that lacks both.
While Tejada to the Padres may be a moderately important deal, Oswalt to the Phillies is a major move and positions the Phillies for a late season run at the first place Atlanta Braves. Oswalt gave his approval for a trade on Thursday afternoon; the Astros received starting pitcher J.A. Happ and two prospects, outfielder Anthony Gose and shortstop Jonathan Villar.
Oswalt joins Roy Halladay at the front of the rotation for the defending National League champion Phillies. Oswalt this year was 6 and 12 for the hideous Houston Astros, but had a very respectable 3.42 earned run average. His addition to the Phillies makes the National League East race seem even tighter on paper. The Braves hold a three game lead over the Phillies. The Braves have widely been considered as over achieving all year while the Phillies have seemed to be just he opposite for much of the season. Philadelphia has been charging lately, however, having won now seven in a row and cutting the Braves lead.
The arrival of Oswalt to the Phillies would seemingly put a major dent in the hopes of the New York Mets, who have experienced what seems to be their annual collapse a month or so earlier than what was expected.
While there is still plenty of baseball yet to be played, both the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies made significant steps towards the postseason today with the addition of veterans and proven winners Miguel Tejada and Roy Oswalt, respectively.
Source: RJ White, “Roto Alert: Roy Oswalt Traded to Phillies”, fantasybaseball.com
Source: Staff, “Miguel Tejada traded to San Diego Padres”, usatoday.com
