Not so fast.... Rumors of the two time defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies imminent demise may be a bit premature.

Multiple sources are reporting that Astros RHP Roy Oswalt will waive his no trade clause and approve a trade to the Phillies.

It appears as though the Astros will pay as much as $11 million of money remaining on Oswalt's contract through next year and in return receive left-handed starter J.A. Happ and two prospects.

Happ who has been on the DL since April 22 with a lower forearm strain, just returned to action this past week. He was 12-4 as a starter last year with a 2.982 ERA.

While the Phillies prospects have not yet been identified, one would have to believe that that it would include the team's best minor-league hitting prospect, first baseman Jonathan Singleton. Singleton is currently at Class A Lakewood in the South Atlantic League, hitting .312 with 18 doubles and 12 home runs.

The Phillies come into the day trailing the Braves by 3 1/2 games. Oswalt's presence changes the landscape not only in the NL East, but all throughout the league as they will instantly become a lock in many people's eye's to secure a Wild Card spot if not win the NL East.

It remains to be seen how Oswalt adjusts his southern diet to a steady dose of Philly Cheese stakes. - Paul Leume

Paul is a MLB columnist from Montreal, Canada. Paul, a one-time beat writer covering the Montreal Expos for the Montreal Gazette is a proud grandfather of 3 girls and now spends his time offering his thoughts and prospective on Major League Baseball on a variety of blogs and websites throughout Al Gore's internet.

In most fantasy baseball leagues the trade deadline is basically the same as the MLB trade deadline. In my league, The Big Show, it's no different.

The Big Show certainly has had a lot of trades the past two weeks. Some of them have been downright ugly where one party should be thankful that charges weren't pressed for rape, pillage and murder.

There have been objections to some of the "dumping" trades claiming that they were too lopsided and not in the best interest of the league, but there haven't been any that were so bad that they were overruled by a majority vote. Until possibly now....

I haven't objected to any of the trades so far, (in fact, I took part in one myself) not because I thought they were all fair trades, but simply because I am of the opinion that all the guys in the league are honorable. From where I sit everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt that collusion is not taking place and everyone deserves to make moves that they see fit for their team, whether it be long term or short term.

When you are in a league together with a group of guys as long as I have been, you become like family and regardless of what place they are in, they deserve the respect of managing their roster the way they want.

There was a trade however that just came across my screen that just doesn't seem right, at least not on the surface. There have been some objections voiced already and perhaps there will be more to come. Or maybe not.... These two team owners are certainly knowledgeable about fantasy baseball and have proven to be savvy players in the past, and I was quite surprised to see something so apparently lopsided agreed upon.

Without telling you who is dumping and who is trying to make a run for the money (it's no secret, you'll be able to tell pretty quickly), the proposed trade is as follows. Please keep in mind that any player over $25 must be kept and everyone who gets kept gets $5 added to their salary next year:

Roy Halladay ($37)
Mike Napoli ($9)
Ichiro Suzuki ($16)
Dan Uggla ($8)

for

Austin Jackson ($4)
Jose Guillen ($1)
Richard Clayton ($1)
Andres Torres ($6)
Anibal Sanchez ($2)
Ronny Paulino ($2)

Here's my take. My gut reaction was that team trading away Roy Halladay has been fleeced on talent. But then I thought about it some more.

$42 next year is a lot of money. Heck, it's more than 16% of your draft budget on one player. Halladay has proved durable and is unquestionably one of the best pitchers in the game, but if he has an off year next year or has to miss any significant part of the season at all, your season next year is going to be eff'ed up.

I guess you could consider protecting Mike Napoli for $14.... However I doubt he would go for that much in the draft. Ichiro Suzuki and Dan Uggla would get thrown back, but they will definitely help a stretch run in the HR and RBI categories.

On the other side of the ledger, while Austin Jackson isn't going to be mistaken for hitting like Reggie Jackson any time soon, the rookie has shown that he can certainly hit for average, steal 30 bases and likely score about 100 runs. I'm guessing that most would assume that he will hit with a bit more pop over time and he's probably a keeper at $9.

So it continues. As I listened to Tim Kurkijan say Monday night that Matt Garza was the eighth pitcher this year to take a no-hitter into the eighth inning, a feeling of relief sunk in. The days of the long ball (i.e. the steroid era) might be dwindling.

Tampa Bay's Matt Garza dominated the Detroit Tigers on Monday and pitched a no-hitter. It was the fifth (6th if you want to include Armando Galarraga like I do) no-no of the year and the first in Tampa Bay history.

Yes, ESPN cut away to check out Alex Rodriguez's at-bat to see if he was going to hit No. 600. But outside of New York City, A-Rod hasn't received the attention one would expect about this milestone (probably because he admitted to cheating...). Once A-Roid hits his 600th homer, there will be a media-frenzy. But it won't last long (hopefully).

Why? Pitching is cool again. Chicks don't dig the long ball anymore. Digging the long ball is obsolete. Oh, and I can't forget the whole testing-for-steroids thing.

This year proves it. There has been a no-no in each month this season and two of them perfect games. I would much rather see something like that than a batter who needs to take drugs in order to hit the ball 450 feet.

Monday night had a twist too. Through six innings, both starting pitchers had no-hitters going. Detroit's Max Scherzer had only walked one batter when they sixth inning began. Unfortunately, he ended up walking the bases loaded and giving up a grand slam to Matt Joyce. It was still great to watch while it lasted. That's the second time this year a no-no was messed up by a guy named Joyce by the way......

To be a fan, though, watching Joyce's homer and knowing that seeing history was still possible at that point was a great feeling. Knowing that the Tampa Bay pitcher could still get the no-no (no offense to Scherzer and the Tigers) was a great feeling. Knowing that the Tampa Bay pitcher could still pitch a no-no at home was a great feeling.

With only three innings left, Garza came through. Just like every other no-no or perfect game pitcher, Garza received some help with great defensive plays. Ben Zobrist made an incredible catch in the second inning and Carl Crawford took care of Miguel Cabrera's line drive in the eighth.

Once he got the final out, it was moving to see the Rays run out of the dugout, overjoyed, and seemingly happier than Garza. It was nice to see Detroit ace Justin Verlander stay in the dugout and respectfully clap for the 26-year-old. It was nice to see Garza do it, facing the minimum 27 batters. It was nice to see the team that had been no-hit twice this season, finally end up on the good side of the milestone. I just hope this happens again in August.

When the Braves traded Yunel Escobar to the Toronto Blue Jays, what they received in return was one of the more consistent shortstops in baseball, Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez anchored the 2003 Marlins infield that won the World Series with him serving as the starting shortstop. The veteran received a standing ovation by the Braves when he entered the locker room before his first game as a Brave.

Yunel Escobar just didn't seem to fit the Braves core values of ‘team first' mentality and chemistry among the players in the locker room is more important than one would think. With Alex Gonzalez in the locker room and leading by example on the field, the team is now acting and playing like a cohesive unit. This may be the only real trade that the Braves make during July before the trade deadline, as it seems like they have gotten an additional face lift from key parts of the puzzle that have come back from the DL.

Rookie phenom Jason Heyward has been out with a thumb injury for 3 weeks and stepped right back in into the lineup on July 15th without missing a beat. Having Heyward back into the line-up gives the Braves more than just another good bat, it gives them more energy and speed which they desperately need.

Chipper Jones has been dealing with several injuries this season but has seemed to have found a comfort zone eliminating the majority of the pain he has been experiencing.

Jair Jurrjens was placed on the DL at the beginning of May and didn't return till the last day of June 30 and is 3-0 in four starts since returning. Getting Jurrjens back in rotation has been just what the doctor ordered and has been every bit as effective as having acquiring a top of the rotation starter.

Johnny Venters who was brought up from Gwinnett in mid April was to fill the role of long mad has now turned into an integral part of the staff throwing 42 innings with a 1.13 ERA.

Matt Diaz is back off the DL after missing 42 games with a surgically repaired thumb and is off to a great start after the All-Star break.

Brian McCann is not 100% (what starting catcher is after more than 90 games) but he's playing like he is 100%.

Nate McLouth who was placed on the DL June 9th after a collision with Heyward in the outfield just returned on July 21st and may be the missing piece and the Braves need to solidify their outfield. With a healthy steady McClouth in center field the Braves may have the final piece to the chemistry puzzle. As the roster stands now, the Braves don't need to make any more acquisitions. The team is firing on all cylinders and there is no need to dismiss or trade one of the pieces of a puzzle that fits.

Bobby Cox has been making in games moves for nearly three decades now and it sometimes seems as if he can read the future. Saturday night sending Brooks Conrad to pinch hit with the bases loaded and having Conrad hit a Grand-Slam was uncanny. Cox's ability to seem to know who to put in and when is amazing and one of the reasons he's been one of the most respected managers in the game for so long.

• OGOchoCinco @terrellowens Batman, dont go in that cave, the Joker is in there, watch it!!!!!!! POW CRUNCH SMASH BOOM, see you in a few days boss!

That's Chad 85's way of telling us that T.O. is going to the Bengals.

• jaysonst Back to that Rays-never-threw-a-no-hitter thread: Nope, Jae Seo never threw one. . . Nope, Casey Fossum never did. . . Not even Esteban Yan!

Now those are some names that haven't crossed my mind in a while.....

• dianagram You know what this game could use .... more cowbell!

More Cowbell! That was the funniest Saturday Night Live ever!

• FavreDollars No Hitter Garza! This is the year of the No Hitters. It's ridiculous. The balls have to be super unjuiced or something

It does seem a bit abby normal.....

• Enrique_Rojas1 Matt Garza, quien tiene ascedencia mexicana, lanza el primer No-Hitter en historia de los Rays.

I think he said that was the first No-Hitter in Rays history.

• JerryRemysGrill Come into Jerry Remy's tonight to watch the Red Sox game and have a drink ON US!! Just mention this FB Post to your server or bartender!

I'm about a 5 hour drive from Boston, but I actually though about taking Jerry up on his offer!

• JeffPassan Combined attendance of the three no-hitters and two perfect games this season: around 106,000. Ten times that will claim they witnessed one.

I was at famous event once, but if I tell you, you won't believe me. So I'll keep it to myself.

• jaysonst Here's the bad news for Matt Garza: Dallas Braden, Roy Halladay and & Edwin Jackson are a combined 5-13 since their no-hitters. Jinx!

Take out Halladay and the other imposters are 1-12!

• BrewersBar Edmonds joining Weeks among those with insane hot streaks right now. Holy freaking crap.

I agree, Edmonds is on a tear, Holy freakin crap.

• DiamondHoggers Here comes your Jay Bruce shit the bed at bat.
• DiamondHoggers I mean Jay Bruce sucks. Absolutely blows. I keep waiting on him to do something. It never happens.

I guess Bruce didn't get a hit.......

1. Elvis Andrus, SS
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Ian Kinsler, 2B
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Josh Hamilton, CF
6. Nelson Cruz, LF
7. David Murphy,
8. Bengie Molina, C
9. Chris Davis, 1B

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Nick Swisher, RF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Robinson, Cano, 2B
6. Jorge Posada, DH
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Francisco Cervelli, C
9. Bret Gardner, LF

..... and it would seem to me that these two teams are on a collision course to meet in the ALCS.

In a short series with Cliff Lee throwing 2-3 times, I'm not even sure that the Yankees would be favorite? Well, I guess they would be, simply because they are the Yankees.... However, there is no way you can tell me that the Rangers don't have a realistic shot to represent the AL in the 2010 World Series.

The Rangers lineup stacks up pound for pound, Cliff Lee has proven he can beat the Yankees on the biggest stage and 22 year old closer Neftali Feliz is simply naive to be intimidated. Heck, he doesn't even know what he's gotten himself into. He leads the league in Saves with 28 (28 for 30) and is pitching to a WHIP of less than 1 and just gets the ball and throws it daring the opponents to hit it.

While the Yankees may have missed out on Dan Haren, (if you haven't heard, Haren was traded to the Angels this afternoon for Joe Saunders and three others) they are in no way sitting on their hands.

Reports have surfaced that Andy Pettitte may return sooner than expected and the Yankees have now contacted the Nationals about big-time power hitter Adam Dunn. The Nationals are thought to be asking quite a bit at the moment, we'll see if that changes over the course of the week.

There is a reason the Nationals are asking for so much, they have some leverage. There has been plenty of interest in Dunn from other teams. It's been no secret that the Chicago White Sox have been pursuing Dunn for weeks now, and with the loss of Magglio Ordonez for 6-8 weeks with a broken ankle, the Tigers have now joined the bidding for Dunn.

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has tried to put some water on this fire however apparently being adamant about not trading top prospects Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner for a rental player.

"Other clubs look at us and say, 'Well, they are desperate so maybe they will trade us Oliver and Turner,'" Dombrowski said. "Well we aren't. I'm not meaning to say that anyone is untouchable. I'm not going to give away blue-chip young players for a guy for two months. It just doesn't make sense..."

The Yankees would be a perfect fit for Dunn. He's a very patient hitter that draws lots of walks. His OBP hovers near .400 and the short porch in right field is tailor made for his swing. If there was a roll on a team in a stadium that was a perfect fit for a player, it would be DH at Yankee stadium for Adam Dunn.

The Nationals certainly don't feel compelled to have to deal Dunn though. They have been exploring a possible contract extension with Dunn since Spring Training, however, obviously nothing has materialized on that front as of yet.

This Weeks Podcast Highlights

On this week's Podcast, Dr. Roto talks about buying Aramis Ramirez, Brian McCann, and Juan Rivera. He then talk about this week's sells (Austin Kearns and Everth Cabrera). Dr. Roto then gives you some good trading strategy and discusses the recent deal between the Royals and Angels for Alberto Callaspo. Finally, Dr. Roto answers your questions about players such as: J.A. Happ, Angel Pagan, and Alex Gordon.

Random Musings:

Don't just look at a trade and examine it on its face...go the extra step. Now that Alberto Callaspo is in Los Angeles, think about how this affects Brandon Wood and Macier Izturis. All trade have ripple effects on fantasy rosters. Your job is to ride the wave and know all the information!

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Listen to our weekly Fantasy Baseball 411 Podcasts and let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

It's a duel! The Yankees and Diamondbacks are currently at 19 paces. One more step and someone turns and fires. It appears as though someone may very well get shot this weekend....

Late last night we spoke about how the Yankees were closing in on Dan Haren. These negotiations have take a slight turn however, and if you ask me, they are turning out a bit ass backwards.

At the moment it appears as though Arizona is the one pushing to get this done ASAP and the Yankees are the ones holding steady. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Yankees the ones who have the apparent urgent need to get him? Maybe it's just that if you are the ‘Might Yankees' you can play hardball and successfully bluff more than some other teams.

It's always a bit disconcerting though when the seller is more eager to do the deal than the buyer, because you never know what the real reason for the sale is.  I'm in no way suggesting that Haren is hurt or that there is a reason (personal or other) that he couldn't be at the top of his game for the Yankees, but he is having an "off year" so far by his standards, and it is at least something that must be looked into.

As the sun rises on Saturday morning in the East (not yet in Arizona), the Yankees appear willing to include right-hander Ivan Nova, right-hander Zach McAllister (whose dad scouts for the Diamondbacks) and 2 additional prospects for Daren. However while the Yankees have no problem paying the $33 million left on Haren's contract, they are refusing to give up Joba Chamberlain and have no interest on taking Chad Qualls and Chris Snyder either.

So here we are, an old fashion show down with the sun about to rise in the West. Will someone get shot at sundown? We'll see. What I would like to see is for a third team to get in the mix at the last moment like the Rangers did with Cliff Lee. A three way firefight! That would make this one really interesting.... - Mike Cardano

Mike is the founder of Around the Horn Baseball & Xtra Point Football.

Last Monday morning when I wrote about the Yankees pitching woes and what they might do about it, our own Blake Kearny told us that Dan Haren would be the best fit for the Yankees.

Kearney stated the following:

"One of the players less often spoken about when assessing who is available is Dan Haren. Haren's uncharacteristic subpar year to date has created a scenario where he may be able to be obtained and the Diamondbacks are not in contention. Haren is signed through 2012 and is cheaper than Roy Oswalt at $12.75 million for 2011 and 2012. There is a club option of $15.5 for 2013 with a $3.5 million buyout."

Now 4 ½ days later, it appears that like the Dynamic Duo of FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi are suggesting that the Yankees are in fact the front runners for the services of Dan Haren.

I was just thinking, how do you think Rosenthal and Morosi work things? Does Ken start the stories and have Jon Paul finish them? Is it the other way around? Do they split the dinner check? Cab Fare?.....

Sorry about that, I just can't figure out why it always takes two of them to find something our or report it.......

Anyway, if the Diamondbacks want minor league catcher Jesus Montero, minor league right-hander Zach McAllister (whose dad scouts for the Diamondbacks) and also minor league right-hander Ivan Nova to get the deal done, the Yankees should do it in a heartbeat.

Think about it, he's a cheaper option than Oswalt, signed through 2012 and the Yankees can make that through 2013 if they pick up the option. This one is a no brainer.