Ruben Gets His Man…Again

There is a lot that can be said about Ruben Amaro’s first couple years as a General Manager–and not all good things.  But, one thing he most certainly is is aggressive and committed.  When he wants something, he acts swiftly, aggressively, and decidedly.  And, it looks like he’s done it again today.

Overnight, the report came out that the Phillies and Astros had agreed on a deal that would allow the Phillies to acquire Roy Oswalt for JA Happ and a couple of prospects, but it would have to await Oswalt’s approval.  And, now, Jayson Stark is reporting that Oswalt is willing to waive his no-trade and join the 2-time defending NL champs.

A couple knee-jerk reactions to this deal, which I kind of think I love (pending any  details):

• It looks like JA Happ is in on this deal.  I think that’s great because I’ve never been nearly as big a fan of him as the rest of the league seems to be.  I thought we missed our chance to get max value for him last year, but it looks like Ed Wade still believes he’s got front-end stuff.  I never did, and I sure don’t now.  I think his absolute  ceiling is a serviceable #3, but I think it’s much more likely that he is an injury-prone, hittable #5.  I’ll take the under on 40 wins in his Houston career.
• I don’t think people realize just how good Roy Oswalt is.  In his prime, the guy was certifiably one of the best handful of pitchers in all of baseball.  Yes, there are concerns about his back, but a lot of reports say that he is as healthy as he has been in several years and he’s still got that deadly stuff.  A lot can happen to a guy with good stuff who gains 30 games in the standings overnight.
• I will concede that the 2010 Phillies, right now, are probably more than just a starting pitcher (any starting pitcher) away from being WS favorites, so if this is their only move, we might still have a disappointing end to 2010.  However, this move probably cements the Phils as the overwhelming favorites to win the NL next year and possibly in 2012, also (depending on the specifics of Oswalt’s 2012 salary demands).

I just have one last thing to say before we sit back and wait for the details to emerge:  When the Phillies traded Cliff Lee, the overwhelmingly prevailing opinion was “Wow, if they had just held on to Cliff Lee and joined him with Halladay and Hamels and this offense, they would be unstoppable for this one year.”  Well, now they have brought in a guy on par with Lee (or close enough, at least), and they don’t lose him after this year.  There is a decent chance that the Phils now have two bonafied studs at the top of their rotation (plus Cole Hamels, who has gone from a bit overrated to ridiculously underrated in about 16 months) and the best lineup in the National League in place  through, at least, the 2012 season.

This is a pretty exciting day. 

Ruben, you’ve been feast or famine so far, but if I had to bet, I would bet “feast” on this one.  Oh, and Ed Wade, thanks again, buddy, you’re the best.