Houston Astros
On Saturday, two days after he signed a two-year, $16.9 million contract, right-hander Roy Oswalt made a last-minute stop at Minute Maid Park to sign autographs at the Astros' annual FanFest and talk to the media about his recent transaction. Oswalt, the National League's only 20-game winner in 2004, was set to attend an arbitration hearing on Tuesday had the two sides not come to an agreement.
The new contract will end prior to his fourth and final year of arbitration eligibility, during which the right-hander hopes to sign another deal that would keep him with the same organization that drafted him in the 23rd round in 1996.
"I like how Houston treats their players after they draft them," said Oswalt. "They tend to draft a guy and try to keep him in the organization as long as possible. A lot of other teams, they don't do that. They try to shift guys around a lot. It's not as much of a team-oriented team.
"With Houston, it's like a family. Everyone plays together. No one plays just because of a paycheck. Everyone plays to win."