Roy Oswalt has thrown for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers recently, but how close is the veteran free agent to pitching in the big leagues? Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe spoke with a scout that watched Oswalt during his recent workouts with the Phillies and Red Sox. While the Roy Oswalt rumors may be in midseason form, is the 34-year-old?
The scout told Carfado that Oswalt wasn’t in midseason form “by any means”. When it was initially announced this spring that Oswalt wouldn’t be signing until closer to midseason, most thought the earliest the 34-year-old could return would be June 1.
According to the scout, it seems as if even this timeframe for Oswalt might be a little generous at this point. The scout said that it would probably take Oswalt “a few weeks to get ready” for the majors.
The scout added that Oswalt’s fastball was “off a tick”, but that it was something that the right-hander would be able to improve upon. It was also noted that Oswalt wasn’t throwing many of his secondary pitches, though the scout did say that the veteran starter “looked fluid”.
While he said that Oswalt is at least a few weeks away, the scout admitted that “everybody’s going to need pitching a month from now, so it’s a good investment for down the road”. This would mean that a team would sign Oswalt in the near future and give him the Andy Pettitte treatment before bringing him up to make his 2012 major league debut.
The Red Sox, Phillies and Rangers have been the teams tied to Oswalt in the past week, though several clubs figure to have interest in adding the veteran to their rotation this summer. The Tigers, Yankees and Angels have said they are not yet in the mix for Oswalt, but the market is likely to continue to develop as we approach the middle of the season.