Sports Thread #1 For 7/29/10: Roy Oswalt To The Phillies

All that is required is for Roy Oswalt to wave his no-trade clause :

Oswalt is scheduled to pitch for the Astros on Friday at Minute Maid Park, and the both sides are hoping to get the deal done at some point Thursday.

Oswalt is owed about $5 million more this year and is due to make $16 million next season in the last year of his contract, but there's a club option for 2012 that would pay him another $16 million. He said last week the option wouldn't be an issue when it came to approving a trade.

The Astros have scouted Phillies left-hander J.A. Happ's most recent starts, and he likely would be included in the deal.

Wade also personally scouted Philadelphia's Class A Lakewood affiliate earlier this month. First baseman Jonathan Singleton, an eighth-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, could be included in the deal. Singleton, 18, is hitting .319 with 12 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .962 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 248 at-bats.

The Astros have been fielding calls about Oswalt since he informed the team in May he wanted to be traded to a contender. Oswalt said Wednesday he would like to have some time to decide prior to Saturday's 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline if he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause to accommodate any deals the Astros put on the table.

"I'm hoping it's not going to be dropped on me an hour before the deadline," he said. "Give me a little bit of time to think about it."

Roy Halladay has been an ace, but he has had his share of poor starts this year, while Cole Hamels is having a decent to good bounce back season on his slow progression to try and recapture his 2008 platform.

But after those two, the starting pitching just hasn't been there for the Phillies. Jaime Moyer's nice start has now been overshadowed by how his age is slowing becoming a dilemma, Kyle Kendrick has given up too many hits this year, and Joe Blanton just has not had a good year at all.

A needed change of environment long overdue for Oswalt could be the jolt for the Phillies to continue their good momentum now (on a five game winning streak) to catch the Braves in the NL East (or the forces in the Central and West in the Wild Card race if need be). He will be relieved to final get some run support, as he has been a full victim of the Astros' anemic offense this year. And despite some slums this year, the Phillies' offense always stands a good chance of giving him run support.

And the fact that the Astros have to pay $11 of the $23 million on his contract is also a good move for the two time defending National League champions.

Update: And Oswalt has wave the trade clause, and will officially become a Phillie.