Waiting On Roy Oswalt In Phillies-Astros Trade, And Examining Rizzotti And Worley

All reports this Thursday morning indicate that the Phillies and Astros indeed have a deal in place, and that it's just a matter of Roy Oswalt waiving his no-trade clause and agreeing to go to Philadelphia (moreover, Joel Sherman reports that Oswalt may demand his $16 million option in 2012 be picked up, but points out that the trade "is very close").

The popular rumor for this deal is that the Phils get Oswalt (along with some cash), while the Astros would get in return J.A. Happ and prospects Matt Rizzotti and Vance Worley. And since we're all just waiting to hear from Oswalt, HardballTalk figures now is as good a time as any to take a closer look at those two prospects, Rizzotti and Worely.

Rizzotti is a 1B/DH who has been raking in high-A and AA this year, with a combined line of .362/.443/.595 (and the numbers are actually better at AA than A). The problem with him, though is that he turns 25 after this season which makes him a bit old for the leagues he's in. While it's possible that he's a late bloomer who made a big leap forward this year, the guy doesn't really project to a big time major league talent. He could probably start for a bad team like Houston, though.

Worley is a 22 year-old starter who is 9-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 20 starts, all but one of which have come at AA (he was recently promoted to Lehigh Valley).  His strikeout numbers don't suggest he's an overpowering pitcher -- he has a 6.6 K/9 in his minor league career -- but he's decent enough. My guess is that he projects as a swingman/4th-5th starter-type.

Nothing amazing, no, but an "OK haul."

And if you're wondering why Oswalt is considering Philadelphia, after saying St. Louis was his number one choice, look no further than the past week: after winning eight straight games, the Cardinals have dropped four of their past six, while the Phillies have won seven in a row. It is likely that Oswalt may just think that right now, Philadelphia has a better chance of getting to the World Series.