Oswalt traded to Philadelphia

Houston's RHP Roy Oswalt was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies today for LHP J.A. Happ, OF Anthony Gose and SS Jonathan Villar. The Phillies are also getting $11 million to cover the remaining $23-$24 million left on his contract.

Really?

The return is about as bad, if not worse, than what the D-Backs got for Dan Haren.

What did the Phillies do to deserve all this good fortune? Why are teams willing to bend over backwards to get a trade done with Philadelphia, but they ask for the world from the Dodgers (i.e. Kemp, Loney, etc.)?

So the Phillies traded an overrated LHP in Happ and two Class-A prospects for one of the best pitchers available this trade season. Wow.

The media always throws the Dodgers' farm system under the bus for not having quality prospects at the higher levels, yet these other teams can trade Class-A prospects and people don't think twice about it? Give me a break.

Not only that, the Astros are sending $11 million. You're telling me the Dodgers couldn't somehow make this work?

I guess my trade scenarios for Oswalt were a bit much on the Dodgers' end, considering what Houston is getting in return.

I'm thinking a package of RHP John Ely/James McDonald, SS Ivan De Jesus and OF Trayvon Robinson or virtually any other OF in the Dodgers' system could have competed with the Philadelphia package. De Jesus and Robinson are far more advanced than the Phillies' prospects, but Ely/McDonald aren't as valued as Happ. Seems like a decent comparison, though.

The Phillies acquire a third ace in the last year and the Dodgers are left to pickup the leftovers (Lilly, Maholm).

I just don't know what to make of it sometimes. I mean, how can a team sit there with a straight face and ask for a Matt Kemp or James Loney in a package for Oswalt and then get this return?

The Dodgers' pursuit of a difference-making starter at the deadline is ended by the Phillies for a second consecutive year. And for a third consecutive year, the Phillies found a way to beat the Dodgers, even if they don't meet in the NLCS this year.

UPDATE: The Astros have traded Gose to Toronto for 1B Brett Wallace. That is an absolute steal for Houston. I'm not sure what the Jays are thinking with this trade. It makes the trade a lot better for Houston, but it doesn't excuse them bending over for the Phillies.