Roy Oswalt Is Making Things Difficult For The Astros

At this point, a deadline deal for Roy Oswalt seems very unlikely. Why? Because Oswalt is one picky son of a gun.

First off, he has a full no-trade clause, which basically allows him to pick where he wants to go. The problem with that is I don't think that Oswalt himself really knows where he want to go.

The Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals, and Dodgers, appear to be the teams interested in acquiring Oswalt. However, Oswalt has said he won't sign off on a deal to the Yankees (I'm not sure why) nor would he approve of a trade to Philadelphia. The Astros' ace would however be okay with a deal to St. Louis, but the only problem there is that the Cardinals have backed off the deal, stating that the Astros are asking for too much in return for Oswalt.

That just leaves the Dodgers, who have also become wary of a deal, simply because the Astros want more than the Dodgers are willing to give up.

So where does that leave Oswalt on August 1st? The same place he was July 31. Simply put, Oswalt isn't going anywhere.

The tricky part about the whole situation is Oswalt's contradictory comments. He has been reported as saying that "location doesn't matter," but if that were the case, why doesn't he want to go to New York of Philadelphia?

Another huge part of this deal is Oswalt wanting whoever trades for him to also pick up his $16 million option for next season. But now, according to recent comments, the money isn't as big a deal as before.

"The money part I can work out with anybody, that's no big deal," Oswalt told the Chronicle recently. "We can work on doing different things as far as restructuring; whatever they want to do. I'm going to find a way to get it done if it works for both of us. I'm not going to go somewhere that's going to be bad for me."

Like I said, I doubt that Oswalt himself knows where he wants to go. And that is what's preventing this deal from taking place. That and the Houston Astros being to picky.

**You can reach the author of this post at gazzy@gacksports.com

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