ESPN.com is reporting that the Phillies have spent "a lot of time" talking to the Houston Astros about a trade for pitcher Roy Oswalt. He is 6-11 with a 3.12 ERA this season.
Players being mentioned in trade talks about Oswalt include J.A. Happ, the Phillies pitcher who was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting for the 2009 season.
To help clear the way to handle Oswalt's large salary, ESPN.com is also reporting that the Phillies are in separate trade talks with other teams that would see outfield Jayson Werth leave the team. Of the teams looking like front runners to acquire Werth is the Tampa Bay Rays.
To replace Werth in the outfield, the Phillies could call up prospect Dominic Brown who is hitting .346 with the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Brown is considered by many to be one of their top hitting prospects in the minors.
However, Werth is a free-agent at the end of this season, and that could make trading him more difficult.
