Lidge laughed when asked if he put Oswalt over the top.
"I don't know. I hope so," he said. "I know how good Roy is. So I was trying to do what I could on my part. I didn't want to be pushy or anything. But, at the same time, I let him know that, 'Hey, this is a pretty good opportuntity.' "
Oswalt appreciated the input.
"We played together for 7 years, and I trust his opinion," Oswalt told ESPN.com. "He told me that the clubhouse was great and that I was going to love it over there. His opinion means a lot to me."
Trades in the days leading up to the deadline have more than one advantage. At the most obvious level, they are meant to improve a contender's chances of winning. And even though talented lefthander J.A. Happ was part of the package that was sent to Houston, it's impossible to argue that the Phillies' chances of winning this year haven't dramatically improved. The first three pitchers in the rotation are now Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Oswalt.
"That's outrageous," Lidge said. "Guys like that are all aces in their own right. And to have three of them, it's going to make us pretty tough."
Agreed centerfielder Shane Victorino: "You've got to say that it, once again, puts us as one of the teams in the forefront. We could have done with what we had, I think. But getting him only adds to the confidence, adds to the depth of our rotation. When Roy's on, he's one of the best pitchers in the game. So I'm excited for him to come in and see what he can do."
The less tangible benefit is the message that it sends to the clubhouse, that the front office is just as committed to winning as the players.
"It should send a message that we are all about winning and that we expect to win," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We expect everybody to play as hard as they can every day. So, yeah, it's a big message. And it also sends a message to our fans and the other major league clubs."
