In Jayson Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings column today, he takes on the Astros and possible trades.
Hey, what about trading Lance or Carlos?
Well, you can just about forget Lee and Berkman, who have full no-trades they've never shown any interest in waiving.
But Roy?
The ace also has a total no-trade clause, but he has told the Astros in the past he would at least think about dropping it if it meant moving to the right team in the right circumstances. So what's the right team?
One old friend of Oswalt believes his three preferred destinations would be Atlanta, St. Louis or Texas. ("Those are the three teams he's talked about if it ever gets to that point," the friend said.)
But despite his preference to stay in the National League and pitch in the South or Midwest, the friend said he could also see Oswalt agreeing to go someplace where he could slot into a deep rotation, as opposed to a team where he'd be viewed as The Savior. Could that bring clubs like the Dodgers or Angels into the mix? Possibly. But it's way too early to play that game.
What would you think about Roy going to Texas, Atlanta, or St. Louis?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
