[EmpireWF]

Roy Oswalt will sign a 5-year, $73 million extension with the Houston Astros according to the AP. Also included in the deal is a no trade clause and an option for another year.

When you think of who will have the most impact on the franchise over the next few years, there's no doubt Oswalt is their ace. A great move by the Astros getting him to sign a new deal, avoiding free-agency.

[Lefty Noob]

Yeah, always good to lock up your best pitcher whenever you can, and Oswalt's better than a lot of them.

[ThePundit]

Wow. That's a lot of money for a pitcher they were just thinking about trading a month ago.

[MJHMarc]

Yup, ThePundit. I didn't expect him to remain an Astro but I guess they do treat him well as you can see. Oswalt has been a decent pitcher since the start and I think he has some great years left in him.

The contract extension comes out to about $15M per year which is a lot considering Alex Rodriguez gets paid $22M per year. The Astros must be made of money since I don't see them filtering the circulation.

[EmpireWF]

This contract very well could set the market for the off-season's free-agent race for LHP Barry Zito. There's no reason he should get less than Oswalt. If anything, b/c it's free agency and he's with Scott Boras, expect him to get a couple of million dollars per year more.

I have no issue with the amount of cash for Oswalt, he is one of the best young arms in the league. If only the Astros could consistantly score some runs, they may have something.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

This contract very well could set the market for the off-season's free-agent race for LHP Barry Zito. There's no reason he should get less than Oswalt. If anything, b/c it's free agency and he's with Scott Boras, expect him to get a couple of million dollars per year more.

I have no issue with the amount of cash for Oswalt, he is one of the best young arms in the league. If only the Astros could consistantly score some runs, they may have something.

At this stage Oswalt is a bit better...tohugh I would worry about his slight built...not so sure he has the body for 5 years of +220 ip..

[MJHMarc]

How come Scott Boras monopolizes the sports-agent business? There should be some other well-known agents out there who offer cheaper prices to the athletes. Is it considered "cool" to be rolling with Boras?

[JackAigner]

The Astros are run on a very personal level. They are still owned by an individual, Drayton McLane, who is probably as active in the lives of his players as anyone. He is loyal to a fault sometimes and I bet he feels like the front office screwed up a bit when whatever happened at the trading deadline. Uncle Drayton (as the Houston media calls him) saw they were probably going to lose him if they didn't sit right down and lock him up then and there. Was it too much? Yeah, probably, but this was the only way they were going to get him back. Oswalt's a stud. He's a great pitcher and I think they made, under the circumstances, a good decision. Only time will tell, though, especially with a starting pitcher.