Monday's MLB Trade Rumors: Roy Oswalt Would Accept Deal To Any Contender, Even Philly

Since June 21st, Royals outfielder Scott Podsednik has batted .368/.400/.496. This has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the league, and sure enough, via Ken Rosenthal, we've got corresponding trade rumors:

Source: Royals getting bombarded with sudden interest in Podsednik from NL West contenders. Would fit for #Giants, #Padres, #Dodgers.

While it's unclear how Podsednik would fit in well with the Padres, the Giants have long been after another starter in the outfield, and the Dodgers could use Podsednik as a fourth outfielder to step in whenever Manny Ramirez needs a day off or Matt Kemp makes Joe Torre unhappy.

It seems even with the injury to David DeJesus, the Royals could still have an active deadline, with both Podsednik and Guillen on the market.

This is how things often go down at the baseball trade deadline, especially when you have a 24-hour news cycle and packs of reporters and bloggers following around players all day -- and calling their agents and other sources (sorry, LeBron) when the clubhouse closes.

There was a report making the rounds earlier today that any deal involving Astros ace Roy Oswalt appeared dead, since the right-hander was ready to invoke his no-trade clause if he were dealt to Philadelphia (and Houston couldn't come to an agreement with St. Louis).

Not so, according to, well, Oswalt himself, who spoke to reporters on Monday evening before Houston's home game against the Cubs.

From The Houston Chronicle:

With the July 31 deadline looming large, Oswalt has been busy recently clarifying — and in some cases downplaying — some of the stances he is reported to have taken regarding any trade involving him.

The latest clarification came Monday, when he said he has no problem being traded to an East Coast team — provided it is right fit.

“That’s not an issue,” Oswalt told the Chronicle on Monday. “Like I’ve said from the beginning, it’s going to have to work for both of us.”

So, if you're keeping track on your Roy Oswalt Trade spreadsheet:

• He will pitch anywhere, if it's the right fit.
• He won't let the Astros career wins record get in the way of getting traded
• He won't make an issue of his $16 million team option for 2012; he's willing to restructure and negotiate.

And just think, this could drag out all the way until the trade deadline on Saturday afternoon.

(A hat tip to the Crawish Boxes, SB Nation's Houston Astros blog)

Red Sox 1B/3B Mike Lowell has been available all season long, but struggles, injuries, and inconsistent playing time have prevented him from accumulating much in the way of value. Says Gordon Edes:

But the two teams that have shown the most interest in Lowell, the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers, appear headed in other directions.

Both the Rangers and Tigers are in the market for right-handed power bats, but neither seems impressed by what Lowell has to offer. Of course, if Texas ends up falling short of Jorge Cantu, they could always come calling again.

It's been a down year for Florida's Jorge Cantu, as the powerful infielder has seen his slugging percentage drop to .412. Nevertheless, the righty seems to have some fans:

#Marlins are NOT close to deal with #Rangers on Cantu. Can't agree on players. #Rockies have stepped up bid for him & #Giants still in mix.

Cantu wouldn't be used as a starter for any of these teams, but rather as a bench bat or part of a platoon. Cantu has historically shown considerable power, and is capable of manning first and third base.

Earlier Monday, there was a report that the Rangers were "closing in" on Cantu, but that seems to have been mistaken.

Roy Oswalt — who has a full no-trade clause — has made it clear (reportedly) that the Cardinals are his ideal destination. But, as was reported earlier on Monday, St. Louis is not optimistic about its chances of landing Oswalt — it seems Houston is simply asking for too much in return.

If the Cardinals are out of the mix, that leaves the Phillies as prime trade partners. One problem: Oswalt would not waive his no-trade clause to play in Philly, according to FOX Sports. (Why would he rather be stuck in Houston on a losing team instead of joining a legit contender? Good question.)

So, at this point, it seems unlikely that Oswalt will be traded to a contender before Saturday’s deadline. Of course, it is only Monday. Expect this story to take several turns before the week is over.

After hearing earlier from Ken Rosenthal that the Diamondbacks "will not hesitate" to trade Edwin Jackson, Buster Olney chimes in with more:

Heard this: The Nats have made progress in their effort to trade prospects for Edwin Jackson.

Jackson is under contract through next season, and would add a powerful, intriguing arm to a Washington rotation that's beginning to come together under Stephen Strasburg. However, though talented, Jackson is no ace-level starter, so one wonders what price tag Arizona has put on him, and how much Washington is willing to surrender.

The Blue Jays are shopping left-handed relief pitcher Scott Downs, according to WEEI.com. Toronto has reportedly contacted several teams, and is looking for a top prospect in return.

WEEI speculates that the Red Sox could be in play for Downs, as Boston looks for a left-handed set-up man in place of Hideki Okajima, who has struggled with a 5.81 ERA this season.

Downs is also capable of being a closer, should a team choose to use him in that role.

He is having one of his best seasons, posting a 2.41 ERA in 41 innings of relief work, along with a 1.049 WHIP — the best of his career — and 7.2 K/9

While the injury to David DeJesus robbed the outfielder of the rest of his season, it also took another tradeable commodity off the market for the Kansas City Royals as the MLB trade deadline approaches.

Fortunately for Royals management, they've still got Jose Guillen in the outfield. ... for now.

Various sources have the Yankees, Red Sox, Padres, Mets and Giants showing interest in the streaky and cantankerous outfielder.

You should probably add the Detroit Tigers to that list as well. Over the weekend, they lost Magglio Ordonez for the rest of the season and Carlos Guillen indefinitely.

As Brian Goodman over at SB Nation Kansas City says in his breakdown:

Guillen could be appealing for [Tigers president Dave] Dombrowski because he's a short-term rental, and with Guillen having spent his most recent time in the AL Central, he should have a good feel for the tendencies of the division's pitchers.

One name the Tigers are rumored to be pursuing, according to the Detroit Free Press, is Adam Dunn, the slugging Washington Nationals first baseman who used to play in the outfield. The Nationals, however, could end up keeping their team together.

Jose Guillen, meanwhile, got off to a hot start and is having a decent season for the Royals, who are his ninth major league team in 14 seasons. He's proven to be ... difficult, shall we say, over the years. But when healthy and focused, he's proven that he can be a spark plug for any team's offense, and he's got a cannon of an arm in right field. On Saturday in New York, Guillen homered and knocked in two runs as the Royals beat the Yankees. With 16 home runs through Sunday, he could approach the career-high of 31 he set in 2003, which he of course spent with two teams: Cincinnati and Oakland.

Of course, the Royals could do something on a grander scale, with Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore getting together with New York Mets GM Omar Minaya on a deal that would probably make the Internet explode. According to Ken Rosenthal, a potential Royals-Mets swap could include Guillen, pitcher Gil Meche and reliever Kyle Farnsworth from Kansas City and pitcher Oliver Perez, second baseman Luis Castillo and outfielder Jeff Francoeur from New York.

One might've figured, following the Dan Haren trade to Anaheim, that the market was actually depressed, and that big-name players might be available for less than their rumored costs. According to the Cardinals, one would be wrong in assuming as much:

[Cardinals GM John] Mozeliak described any move as "certainly not imminent at this time," then hinted that the market may be too steep to find any significant upgrade for the rotation.
...
"We're continuing to explore avenues, but as we speak I can't say I'm encouraged."

Roy Oswalt negotiations with St. Louis have been hindered by the Astros not wanting to deal him within the division, the Astros seeking a high-level return, and Oswalt being under contract for so much money. If the Cards can't land him, then the rest of the market for them looks comparatively unappealing, and they may elect against making any move with Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny on the way back.

Meanwhile, it's unclear who might step up for Oswalt if the Cardinals drop out.

With the MLB Trade Deadline fast approaching, Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt is taking this "trade me" approach pretty seriously.

Consider: On July 8, Oswalt and the Astros beat the Pirates, giving hims 143 career wins. One more win would tie him with Joe Niekro atop Houston's career wins list. But according to the Houston Chronicle, neither Oswalt nor the Astros are going to let that record cloud their decision making as this week plays out.

Since picking up win No. 143, Oswalt has lost two starts in a row, including a 7-0 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday during which he gave up six runs in five innings. Teams scouting Oswalt during that less-than-stellar performance included the Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals and Dodgers.

Oswalt is scheduled to start on Friday in Houston against the Milwaukee Brewers, if he hasn't been dealt by then.

Meanwhile, over at Crawfish Boxes, our Houston Astros blog, they're breaking down past trades for front-line starters (including the deal on Sunday night involving Dan Haren), trying to figure out what Oswalt could and should bring, if dealt. They've crunched a lot of numbers, and it's worth a read.

The Rangers are “deep in conversations” with the Marlins to trade for utility man Jorge Cantu, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Texas could use a more productive bat at firstbase with Chris Davis continuing to struggle offensively. Cantu isn’t exactly setting the world ablaze, but his .260/.309/.412/.721 statline would be a vast improvement over Davis’ .200/.274/.284/.558

Nightengale also tweets that the Rangers are considering pursuing a deal to acquire Derrek Lee from the struggling Cubs, although that seems to be far less likely than landing Cantu.