One thing is for sure; someone will eventually sign free agent starting pitcher Roy Oswalt. What is unclear is which team will ink the veteran and when a deal will be reached. At this point, both are up in the air and haven’t become any clearer even as players report to spring training. For the most part, four teams have been tied to Oswalt; the Rangers, Cardinals, Red Sox and Reds. One of those teams made it clear yesterday that they are not even considering the right-hander.
Reds general manager Walk Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he is “not even considering” signing Oswalt.
For weeks the national media has tried to tie Oswalt to the Reds. Time after time Jocketty has denied reports of Cincinnati’s serious interest. While he’ll admit that the Reds did speak with Oswalt and his representation this winter, it doesn’t appear that things went much further than that.
Cincinnati faces the same budget-related problems that plague the other teams tied to Oswalt. At this point in the offseason, clubs don’t have much left to spend; they’ve already allocated their funds to filling their targeted needs. Even teams such as the Phillies and Yankees are crying constrained budget.
So, as we edge closer to March, Oswalt remains a free agent. The Rangers and Cardinals are still his top choices, but the Red Sox figure to stay in the mix for the right-hander until he reaches an agreement.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.