Roy Oswalt Traded to Phillies: Who Wins Now, Who Wins Later?

Roy Oswalt has officially been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Houston Astros are getting three players in return for their ace.

The Phillies will be sending southpaw pitcher J.A. Happ, minor league outfielder Anthony Gose, and minor league shortstop Jonathan Villar to the Astros.

Houston is also paying Philadelphia $11 million for the deal.

The Three in Return: Who Houston Receives for the Wizard

J.A. Happ is currently 1-0 on the season with a 1.76 ERA. Both Happ and Oswalt were scheduled to start on Friday night, but both pitchers will soon be donning new uniforms.

Anthony Gose was the Phillies second-round pick in the 2008 MLB Draft and is 19 years old.

Jonathan Villar was signed by Philadelphia out of the Dominican Republic, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, and is also 19 years old.

Grading the Trade for Both Teams

Looking at a quick grading of this trade, it's obvious to me that the Phillies got a steal of a deal.

J.A. Happ and the prospects Houston got in return may pan out, but Philadelphia picked up one of the greatest pitchers to ever play America's Pastime when it landed Roy Oswalt.

Philadelphia Phillies: A+

Houston Astros: B-

It'll Be a Good Deal for the Astros IF...

This deal will be great for the Houston Astros if J.A. Happ turns out to be another ace-in-the-making and if the young prospects Houston got in return for its ace pan out as major leaguers.

Houston will get a glimpse of Happ early on, as I'm sure the Astros will happily enter him into the rotation.

The players heading to Houston's farm system, on the other hand, may take two to three years to truly see the results.

It'll Be a Disaster for the Astros IF...

This deal will be a complete disaster, however, if J.A. Happ ends up being a southpaw dud (which I personally hope and pray does not happen) and the prospects Houston received don't end up panning out or making it to the majors.

Hopefully, neither of those things will occur.

For the Phillies, gaining an ace like Roy Oswalt just made Philadelphia contenders to win a World Series title.

Which is exactly what Oswalt has wanted all along. And he deserves it, too.

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Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]