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Houston - Major League baseball sources told FOX 26 Sports the Houston Astros have a deal in place to trade pitcher Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies if Oswalt agrees to waive his no-trade clause.

Sources told FOX 26 the Astros have approached Oswalt. He is aware of the deal that is on the table and the club is waiting for his response.

MLB sources told FOX 26 the Astros and Phillies have agreed on the amount of money Houston will take back in the deal and the two teams have agreed on the players Philadelphia will be sending.

Oswalt is owed about $5 million for the rest of this season.

He will make $16 million next season and his contract has a team option for 2012 worth $16 million with a $2 million buyout.

Oswalt asked the Astros earlier this season to try and trade him to a contender if it is in the best interest of the club.

He is scheduled to start for Houston against Milwaukee Friday at Minute Maid Park.

Oswalt is one win shy of tying Joe Niekro's all-time record for victories in an Astros uniform (144).
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Cronos69 wrote:It would have been quite a feat to get Oswalt in Cardinal Red; it makes much more sense that he'd end up in Philly half-red.

Astros awaiting Oswalt's OK. J.A. Happ headed to Astros.

Roy Oswalt's career with the Astros is over. Or at least appears to be. The Astros and Phillies have agreed on a deal that will include pitcher J.A. Happ and prospects. Now it's up to Oswalt.

I'm guessing he'll give his approval. He may want his 2012 option picked up, but I can't imagine he'll stay. He's going at the right time, too. The Phillies are hot. They've got a shot.

So from the empty seats and organizational stupidity of the Astros, Oswalt could find himself pitching in a packed ballpark in big games for a team trying to win a third straight National League pennant.

It's a sad day for the Astros in a lot of ways. For the organization to fall so low that it's forced to trade its best player is a failure on so many levels. But at least the Astros have acknowledged where they are.

It now appears Brett Myers won't be traded. That seems to mean that he and Ed Wade have agreed on that mutual option for 2011. The Astros are saying they've shopped Berkman and found no takers.

I'm not sure how trading Oswalt alone gets it done for the Astros. So a few more young players come into the system. That only inches them in the right direction while subtracting a huge part of their success. If they're going to tear down, they ought to be prepared to tear it all down. They weren't.

So they're hope will be that more members of the 2008 draft class move toward the majors next season, that they get there the old-fashioned way.