Roy Oswalt Rumors: Veteran Remains in “No-Man’s Land”
By Editorial Staff
It’s pretty amazing that a pitcher the caliber of Roy Oswalt is still available at this point of the offseason. However, this doesn’t make Oswalt’s presence on the free agent market any less real. An un-perfect storm has seemingly hit Oswalt and his representation this winter and it’s unclear where the right-hander will end up. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports examined Oswalt’s strange journey through free agency in his Thursday article.
As Passan noted, many expected Oswalt to eventually land with the Rangers or Cardinals. While this could certainly still happen, there is no clear fit for the 34-year-old in either Texas or St. Louis.
If we are playing the ‘what-if’ game, we might as well say that few figured Oswalt would have to settle for a one-year deal when the offseason began. Now, with pitchers and catchers reporting or getting ready to do so, Oswalt is left waiting to find a suitor.
Geography and winning are reportedly more important to Oswalt than money. However, the two clubs that offer Oswalt the greatest opportunity to win and are closest to his Mississippi home haven’t expressed serious interest.
Passan wrote that the Cardinals already have their five-man rotation set, with prospect Shelby Miller waiting in the wings. Budget is also an issue in St. Louis, something the Rangers are dealing with as well. On top of the money question, Texas has seven starters for five spots and isn’t ready to remove Matt Harrison from their rotation.
The Red Sox have contacted Oswalt, but the right-hander would reportedly prefer to steer clear of Beantown. The Reds are another team that’s checked in, though general manager Walt Jocketty has publically disputed reports of their interest.
That leaves Oswalt holding out for one of his ideal scenarios to play out. Passan brings up the Adam Wainwright injury and Kyle Lohse March signing as examples that things can happen and may still fall into place for Oswalt. Still, for the time being, it’s hard to say where the three-time All-Star will end up this spring.
That leads to the question; where do you see Oswalt landing?
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You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.