OremLK

Brian McTaggart gives us some bad news, tweeting that Paulino has strained his rotator cuff and won't pitch again for four weeks. Makes you wonder if they should just shut him down for the season.

Ken Rosenthal provides us with a summary of all the reasons the Astros are having a hard time trading Oswalt. Roy reportedly wants his 2012 option guaranteed to waive his no-trade clause. His list of acceptable teams is a "moving target". The Astros won't eat enough salary, and Ed Wade is "trying to hit a home run" in terms of the prospects he gets back. You get the definite sense that there is going to have to be some movement toward compromise by all parties involved (especially Oswalt, who may be to blame if he doesn't get traded) to get this deal done. We also hear that the Astros are listening on Brett Myers, and that he is also amenable to returning to Houston next season.

Getting unconfirmed reports that J.D. Martinez is packing his bags right now for a trip up to AA. Cap tip to Astros County and Farmstros for pointing this out. The Twitterer in question (linked above) say they are Martinez's host family. More if/when we get official confirmation.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Mets are considering the possibility of trading for Brett Myers. This move would make a lot of sense for them, given their homer-suppressing ballpark and Myers' knowledge of the NL East. What would you want back from the Mets to pull the trigger on such a deal? How about one of Wilmer Flores, Fernando Martinez, or Reese Havens, plus a pair of ML-ready grade C starting pitchers in Dillon Gee and Tobi Stoner?

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that Chicago may have interest in the Astros ace, but are concerned about the move to the AL. Don't get too excited (or dismayed, as the case may be), because this comes on the heels of an unsourced Ken Rosenthal report that Oswalt would veto a trade to the White Sox.

Live now on ESPN2, the All-Star Futures game features many of the top prospects in baseball, and it's a good chance to see some of the game's future stars before they reach the Major Leagues. Jordan Lyles is the Astros' sole representative, and he is among the pitchers on today's U.S. roster. Will he pitch an inning today? We'll see. Another point of interest is that the Astros are likely to be sellers at the trade deadline, and there is a small chance that one of these prospects could be involved in an Astros trade.

Per Ken Rosenthal's Twitter, the two above mentioned teams are on Oswalt's no-list, among "others". That he wouldn't accept a trade to the Tigers shouldn't come as a big surprise, being that it's Detroit, and I doubt he wants to take up residence (even temporary) there. His refusal to go to the White Sox surprises me a bit more, since his friend Jake Peavy is there and they are only a half game back, but it doesn't make much difference since Chicago probably wouldn't have the prospects to trade for him anyway. My big question is, would he accept a trade to that other AL Central team rumored to be in the running for his services, the Twins?

Per Alyson Footer, the Astros have traded catcher Kevin Cash to the Red Sox in exchange for quad-A infielder Angel Sanchez. Sanchez has a career .685 OPS in the minor leagues, and he's batting for .675 this season with the Red Sox AAA club. Going by TotalZone, he is a plus defensive shortstop and second baseman. Footer says he will join the Astros in San Diego, which I suppose means he gets an active roster spot. EDIT: Subber10 adds that Footer tweeted Yordany Ramirez has been removed from the 40-man roster, and a 25-man roster move will occur by tomorrow. EDIT 2: SoxProspects.com has the following to say about Sanchez: "Exceptional defensive player with a strong arm. Primarily plays shortstop but can also play second and third base. With the bat, Sanchez makes average contact and has doubles power. Good plate discipline. Average speed. Still has the potential to be a major league utility player, especially if he is able to repeat his offensive success from 2009."

Per Brian McTaggart's twitter (cap tip to to clack for pointing this out), Tommy Manzella has an fractured left index finger. Blum will start at shortstop tonight.

Per Zachary Levine at the Houston Chronicle: According to owner Drayton McLane, the willingness of the team to absorb salary in a trade is "dependent on the offers you're getting in return". A commenter on MLBTradeRumors said it best, I think: "Oh snap well this changes everything."

Unsurprisingly, there is some truth to the rumors flying around about the Rangers' interest in trading for Roy Oswalt, according to Nolan Ryan.

This one falls firmly under the rumor category, as it's according to a "player who is friendly with Oswalt", but it wouldn't surprise me if it was true. Basically, if you're around .500, or better, Roy is interested.

We all know about Chris Johnson's homerun barrage at Class AAA Round Rock. What some of you may not have noticed is that he's made great strides in improving his plate discipline as well. In 136 plate appearances, he has struck out only 20 times, which is a 14.7% K-rate. Last season, he struck out 90 times in 412 plate appearances, a 21.8% K-rate. Johnson's .333 batting average will come down--but perhaps not as much as you might think.