Roy Oswalt Signs Minor League Deal with Colorado

Roy Oswalt might not have much left in the tank, but the veteran has signed a minor league deal with the Rockies and will try to pitch his way back to the Majors. (Image Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Having spent the offseason deflecting questions about his own future in baseball, Roy Oswalt entered the 2013 season without a contract and without any certainty that he’d pitch again. While the possibility remained on the table, it was believed that Oswalt would only sign with a contender if he were to continue his career. The 35 year old has finally put an end to some of those questions, signing a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies late Thursday afternoon, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

He’ll report to the team’s extended spring training facilities initially, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post, and will be monitored closely. There is no certainty that Oswalt will end up seeing any time in Colorado, as a promotion will entirely depend on how he performs in the minor leagues first. Oswalt is slated to make 2-3 starts before potentially heading to the team’s Double-A affiliate for continued work.

Colorado has faced plenty of questions of their own this season on the mound, but appeared to have a number of options already in house. The team’s current rotation consists of Jorge De La Rosa, Jeff Francis, Juan Nicasio, Jon Garland, and Tyler Chatwood. Jhoulys Chacin could return from the DL before the end of the coming weekend and the team still has Drew Pomeranz in the minor leagues. Oswalt has long preferred to start, but it’s unclear if the organization will look to use him in that role should they elect to bring him to the Major Leagues.

A 12 year MLB veteran, Oswalt holds a 163-96 career record and 3.28 ERA in 2,213.0 IP. He spent the first nine and a half seasons of his career with the Houston Astros before spending some time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers.