Roy Oswalt Could Make Texas Rangers Champs
By Lew Freedman
For a guy known as one of the quickest workers between pitches in the majors, it sure took Roy Oswalt close to forever to find a place to throw them.
The right-handed free agent finally landed with the Texas Rangers the other day and if, after a period of get-back-in-shape starts in AAA Oswalt can make his back hold up in one piece, he could be the piece that puts Texas over the top and World Series winners.
The last two years in a row Texas has captured the American League pennant and lost in the World Series. It would have been easy to stand pat and give it another go as is, but that hardly ever works out in the swiftly changing world of professional sports. Also, the Los Angeles Angels turned up the heat by being very aggressive in the free-agent market.
Proving to be smart shoppers, the Rangers invested in Japanese star Yu Darvish and that has been a marvelous hire. Oswalt has been floating around the free agent market for months after the Philadelphia Phillies chose not to re-up with a new contract and there have been rumors about Oswalt’s status than follow around Lindsay Lohan.
One minute Oswalt was headed to the Boston Red Sox, the next back to Philadelphia, the next to Texas. Oswalt was the last guy standing in free agency, so there was nothing else to talk about. His situation has been complicated by a nagging back injury. If sound Oswalt was going to be a giant get for someone. Lifetime, his record is 159-93. He has two 20-win seasons and one 19-win season on his resume and the three-time All-Star is just 34. He also has a solid lifetime earned run average of 3.21.
But next to an injury to his throwing arm, perhaps the worse nightmare scenario for a pitcher is coping with a back problem that can flare up at any time. The Rangers signed Oswalt for $5 million, plus $1 million in incentives, an investment that by big-league standards is not extraordinary. Yes, it’s a bit of a gamble, but won well worth taking. The potential upside is huge for Texas.
Texas was interested in Oswalt all along (and from his standpoint it didn’t hurt any that the bulk of his background was in Texas playing for Houston), but team president Nolan Ryan felt the club was set with no holes until pitcher Neftali Feliz got hurt. That increased the interest in Oswalt from mild to high and the deal got done.
When the season is over Oswalt could be moaning, “oh, my aching back,” or be high fiving Josh Hamilton as they celebrate on the field with a World Series championship. Sadness or gladness, I’m thinking there will be no in-between.