The Nationals Should Roy-Up

For the last decade, the Astros Roy Oswalt has quietly been one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League, compiling 140 wins and an earned run average of 3.21 since 2001. In what has been an up and down decade for Houston, Oswalt has been the constant. But the times they are a-changin', and at 16-32, good for last place in the NL Central, Oswalt has gotten fed up and is asking for a trade. You can't blame him, really. After all, his 3-6 record is not nearly indicative of how he has pitched this year. His 2.36 ERA is 7th in the NL, and his walks and hits per inning (WHIP) is 5th. Unfortunately, though, his offense is giving him 2.07 runs of support per game. This shouldn't be so surprising, considered the 'Stros are dead last in batting average, runs scored, home runs, and slugging percentage. Do the math: 2.36 runs allowed is more than 2.07 runs scored, which equates to losses. There are many teams rumored to be interested in his services, including Texas and possibly Los Angeles. The only problem is that he's due $15 million this year and $16 million next. At 32, a team will likely only want him for an October pennant race.

But there is one team out there that has expressed interest in the righty, and I think it would be an absolutely perfect fit: the Washington Nationals.

At 25-24 the Nationals are in 4th place in the competitive NL East, but are only 3 games behind division-leader Philadelphia. In short, no one would have predicted that 50 games into the season Washington would be any good. Adding Oswalt would have monumental effects that could keep the Nationals around in the wild-card race for awhile, and I'm not only talking about 2010.

The Nationals biggest weakness has always been pitching. This year is no different, as they are in the bottom half of the league in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and home runs allowed. Their bullpen is, in a word, atrocious. This is where Oswalt comes in. He can't help the bullpen woes, but by giving 7+ strong innings in 75-80% of his starts, it's a load off for the pen knowing they might not have to clean up a mess when he starts. Add his already stellar statistics and give him an offense can actually hit a baseball (the Nats are 5th in the NL in batting average), and the results might show off right away.

(Random trivia: As of May 29th, who has the highest team batting average in baseball? The Kansas City Royals.)

Then there's the leadership quality that he'll bring to the team. He's been around for a decade, been to the postseason 3 times, including the 2005 World Series. For one of the youngest teams in baseball, he and the surprising 35-year-old Livan Hernandez (4-3, 2.08 ERA) the experience they bring to the rotation can be key in what is appearing to be a tight race for that last playoff spot come September and October. Not to mention, allegedly there is this rookie in the Nationals organization who is creating quite a stir with his dominance in AAA Syracuse. You might have heard of him? Stephen Strasburg is the most talked about rookie we've seen in a looooong time, and having a mentor like Oswalt when he finally gets the call up to the Big Show would be invaluable. Both throw very hard (Strasburg can hit 98 on average, even as his pitch count increases, while Oswalt can somehow get 97 mph out of that 6-foot, 192 lb frame) with good off-speed stuff. Few pitchers in baseball are as good at getting every possible ounce of energy go into a pitch as Oswalt, and to think he might be able to add 1 or 2 miles per hour and/or movement to Strasburg's already incredible fastball should seem scary to opponents who will have to see the phenom soon. And since it seems that he will be the face of the franchise for the next 15 years (He might be already. After all, can you name the Nationals starting line-up? How about just the infield?), the amount of pressure will be enormous right away. A veteran who has been around the block and is still pretty darn good could help the youngster deal with and possibly even take off that pressure.

Roy Oswalt wants out of Houston because he wants to play for a contender. He clearly still has the stuff to improve a good team. And it appears as though the Washington Nationals might be in the race to stay. The two seem like a perfect fit. There are short-term and long-term effects to the deal that work in favor of the Nats' organization. They should be willing to go out and spend the money before it's too late and Oswalt lands somewhere else.