Astros: Reviewing the 2010 Roy Oswalt trade with Phillies

We take a look back at the 2010 trade in which the Houston Astros sent Roy Oswalt to the Phillies.

Trading a franchise cornerstone and one of your all-time greatest players is never an easy thing to do. But the 2010 Houston Astros, on their way to a second consecutive losing season and fifth straight season missing the playoffs, finally realized they needed to rebuild. Thus came the trade of longtime ace Roy Oswalt.

Just before the trade deadline on July 29, the Astros sent Oswalt to the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Anthony Gose, pitcher J.A. Happ and infielder Jonathan Villar. GM Ed Wade immediately flipped Gose to Toronto for first baseman Brett Wallace, so we’ll treat these as one overall move.

This trade was a big barometer for both teams. If the Astros nailed it, they could shorten their rebuild and get back into contention sooner. If they missed the mark, it would only take longer to get back into the hunt with a solid young core of players.

The Phillies had won the World Series in 2008 and lost the Series in 2009. Their core was aging, so grabbing Oswalt was their attempt to win another title or two before their window closed. They were hoping to establish a mini-dynasty in the city of brotherly love.

When the dust settled, the Phillies got a major boost to their pitching staff as they prepared to make another playoff run. The Astros came away with three promising young players they hoped to build around for the future. Which team fared better?