Bunch of links to pull from to get a sense of what's actually happening with this Roy-to-Philadelphia mess, let's take a gander:
FanHouse's Ed Price:
The Phillies and Astros were said to be working on a trade that would send Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia, two major-league sources told FanHouse on Tuesday night, although the deal would then require Oswalt's approval. One source described the talks as "heavy."
Houston "may be close to putting the ball in [Oswalt's] court," the other source said, although he didn't think the trade was down to the finishing touches.
Price does not mention the possibility of a three-team trade, but says Jayson Werth would be the logical player to be moved to clear payroll space for Roy.
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Bernardo Fallas:
The Astros are in advanced talks with the Philadelphia Phillies regarding a potential trade, a person familiar with the situation told the Chronicle on Tuesday night...
...Oswalt has a no-trade clause in his contract and would have to approve a trade. He told the Chronicle last week he would not rule out anybody that is a contender.
These are not just "Hey! The Twins should trade for Roy, or I'm gonna be pissed!" columns. These are MLB sources talking, here. So it seems like this is more serious than an article about what Omar Minaya had for breakfast.
The lynchpin of the deal is whether or not the Phillies are able to move Jayson Werth to clear payroll space for Roy. Top prospect Domonic Brown would replace Werth.
Interestingly enough, J.A. Happ had his rehab start limited to three innings, and is scheduled to pitch "Saturday or Sunday" in Philadelphia. Or somewhere else.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
