http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsHouston Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt recently told management he wanted to be traded.
The Mets have lost three starting pitchers in the last two weeks, two to injury and one to… well, awfulness.
I’m not the only one who sees a fit here, right?
Oswalt’s W-L isn’t the best this season at 2-6, but that’s heavily influenced due to a terrible Houston team behind him. His ERA is 2.66 (career 3.21) and he has 60 strikeouts on the year, putting him on pace for 221.
Oswalt would be under the Mets’ control for the remainder of this season and next season, with a club option for 2012, so this move would be more than just a four-month rental. It would set our top three starting pitchers as Johan Santana, Oswalt, and Mike Pelfrey. Not sure there’s a better 1-2-3 in the majors.
Now what would it take to acquire Oswalt? A rebuilding team like the Astros would want young, promising talent.
If I was Omar Minaya (sometimes I wish I was, now is one of those times), I call Houston’s GM Ed Wade first thing in the morning and put Fernando Martinez and Jenrry Mejia on the table. F-Mart and The Kid for Oswalt. I’d do it in a second, and I think you’re crazy if you don’t strongly consider it if you’re the Astros. You get a five-tool prospect in Martinez, and a potential starting pitcher who’s 20 years old in Mejia who consistently hits 97 MPH on the radar.
WFAN’s Mike Francesa brought up a great point on his show today, though. The Mets need to research two things before they think about pulling the trigger on any kind of Oswalt deal: Is Oswalt healthy, and does Oswalt want to be in New York? If either question is no, it would be more productive to look in other areas for pitching help.
The Mets need to be contenders again, and quick. A healthy Oswalt would put them back into that category for the time being.
The Mets Report 
Oswalt won't make enough difference. Especially since he'll probably opt out and end up being a rental. You can give them F-Mart but a young pitcher like Meija can't get you a 6 month rental for a pitcher that will at best get you the wild card and maybe not even that.
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Oswalt (or any player for that matter) can't just opt out of their contract whenever they want. He'd be under the Mets control until after the 2011 season, and they have a club option for 2012. As far as I know, Oswalt does not have an opt-out clause.
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