Oswalt to meet with Rangers

[Goober]

Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers as one of six teams interested in Roy Oswalt. Now that's a one year deal I can approve of.

Greinke, Gallardo, Marcum, Oswalt. :fap:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...inals-Red-Sox-Nationals-Indians-market-012512

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Reds sign Jeff Francis to minor league deal and invite to spring training.

Rangers front runner for Roy Oswalt.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Reds sign Jeff Francis to minor league deal and invite to spring training.

Rangers front runner for Roy Oswalt.

Him to the Rangers would be huge. He's used to pitching in hitters parks and used to the Texas heat, so it wouldn't be a huge adjustment for him. It would also take some of the heat off Darvish for a year while he adjusts.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Reds sign Jeff Francis to minor league deal and invite to spring training.

Rangers front runner for Roy Oswalt.

FYI, this was in the Random Thoughts thread originally, so I wasn't hijacking with the HUGE BREAKING NEWS of Jeff Francis.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt has elected to remain in the National League and is likely to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals "soon," a major league source said late Friday night.

Presumably, any agreement would be pending a physical for Oswalt, who has a history of back problems.

"It's not yet 100 percent," the source said.

Oswalt, one of the last big-name free agents still on the market, had been ardently pursued by the Boston Red Sox, among others. Another team reportedly in the mix for Oswalt was the Texas Rangers, while CBSSports.com reported late Friday night that Oswalt had rejected an offer from the Detroit Tigers.

The Red Sox on Jan. 21 traded shortstop Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies to free up money for other moves, one of which was the signing of free-agent outfielder Cody Ross last week.

They had targeted Oswalt, 34, once he made it known he would be willing to accept a one-year deal. But Oswalt, who spent the first 9½ seasons of his career with the Houston Astros before going to the Phillies in a trade-deadline deal in 2010, apparently preferred to remain in the National League.

Back problems have plagued Oswalt for the past several seasons, although he still managed to make 23 starts for the Phillies last season, posting a 9-10 record and 3.69 ERA.

Red Sox sources have indicated they expect to re-engage the Chicago White Sox in trade talks for right-hander Gavin Floyd, who, according to one White Sox source, is available for the right package of prospects.

So far, the Red Sox have not made a satisfactory proposal to general manager Kenny Williams.

Edwin Jackson, the last significant starting pitcher remaining on the market, remains a long-shot possibility. Jackson had not been on Boston's radar because of his desire for a multiyear deal, but the Red Sox have been in touch with agent Scott Boras on a possible one-year deal. As of earlier Friday, the Red Sox had not made an offer for Jackson.

They go into camp with three certainties in their rotation: Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz. They plan to bring relievers Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves to camp with the intention of them becoming starters, and new GM Ben Cherington has signed three experienced starters with injury histories -- Vicente Padilla, Carlos Silva and Aaron Cook -- to minor league deals with an invitation to big league camp.

Manager Bobby Valentine told reporters Thursday that another starting pitcher was not "at the top of my wish list," and the Red Sox might elect to stay put for the time being to see what other options develop between now and the regular-season opener

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story...oy-oswalt-likely-sign-st-louis-cardinals-soon

 

[Goober]

Doug Melvin needs to work some magic and steal him away from the Cardinals.

 

[Woy]

Get this done, Mozeliak.

Wainwright/Carpenter/Garcia/Oswalt/Lohse :fap::fap::fap:

 

[ThomasTomasz]

The Texas Rangers are scheduled to meet with free agent right-handed starter Roy Oswalt on Monday, a source confirmed Sunday afternoon.

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ESPNBoston.com reported Friday that Oswalt was close to a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals and various reports have suggested the pitcher's preference is either St. Louis or Texas.

Other teams have also pursued Oswalt, including the Boston Red Sox. CBSSports.com reported Friday night that Oswalt had rejected a one-year offer from the Detroit Tigers.

Oswalt, 34, is currently looking for a home in 2012 after a bothersome lower back landed him on the disabled list twice in 2011. The veteran was 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 139 innings (23 starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies, who declined to pick up his option after the season. After Oswalt was dealt to the Phillies at the trade deadline in 2010, he went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA the rest of the season (12 starts).

He was a consistent starter in Houston, winning 20 games in 2004 and 2005, and has a career 3.21 ERA.

One question is whether he's a fit in Texas. The Rangers have more than a full rotation in place heading into spring training next month. They've said they are committed to trying Neftali Feliz in the rotation, and with the signing of Yu Darvish will need to move someone back to the bullpen. Alexi Ogando is the leading candidate after how well he pitched in relief in the ALDS and ALCS in 2011.

If Oswalt signs with the Rangers and is slated to start (he's said through his agent, Bob Garber, that he wants to start, not pitch in relief), that would require the club to move another current starter to the bullpen or make an additional move.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Friday on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM that he was "intrigued" by the depth that Oswalt could provide to the staff but wasn't sure it was a perfect fit, either.

"If that were to happen, you'd love to have extra depth," Daniels said. "The flip side we've got to consider is what if that doesn't happen? How does it all fit together? We've spent a lot of time and resources developing this younger group where they are ready to maybe take that next step and do we owe it to them? Those are things we're walking through right now."

The Dallas Morning News first reported that the Rangers would meet with Oswalt on Monday.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/7517158/source-roy-oswalt-meet-texas-rangers-monday

Can't count on Oswalt to the Cards yet it seems.

As I said earlier, this would be a great move for the Rangers. Having his leadership for the entire staff, including Darvish, would be huge, and he is already used to pitching in the heat and in a hitter's park over in Houston.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

7:09pm: Rosenthal now hears that the Reds are not actively pursuing Oswalt, but they are kicking the tires on the right-hander (Twitter link).

1:53pm: Pitcher Roy Oswalt is without a contract two weeks before the start of spring workouts and a number of suitors remain in the mix for his services. Because the right-hander's top choices - St. Louis and Texas - are dealing with budget constraints, clubs such as the Reds continue to explore the possibility of signing him, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Walt Jocketty & Co. have spoken with Oswalt’s representatives recently and would probably need to move payroll and stretch their budget in order to afford him, according to a source. Signing the 34-year-old, the duo writes, would signal that the Reds are going all-in and looking to win before the potential departures of Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips via free agency. Votto is signed through 2013 while Phillips is set to hit the open market next winter.

Oswalt and the Red Sox continue to have “mutual interest” in one another, according to one source with knowledge of the dialogue. He also remains interested in returning to the Phillies, according to sources, but they haven’t been aggressive in looking for starters.

Meh, like I said a few weeks ago, I want no part of Oswalt. His K rate and inability to stay healthy last year scares me. He had the worst K rate and second worst K/BB ratio of his career last season. Pass.

 

[Goober]

Oswalt announcement expected today.
Not signing with Rangers, Red Sox, or Cardinals.

 

[Rudi]

So where the fuck is he going? :shifty:

 

[Goober]

So where the fuck is he going? :shifty:

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=milwaukee

 

[Youk]

After waiting until spring training and failing to land a job to his satisfaction, free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt has told major league clubs that he might pull a Roger Clemens and return midseason, according to a baseball source.


Oswalt
Oswalt, 34, has told teams that he plans to keep throwing, stay ready and would be willing to return during the season if nothing materializes before then. That approach would mirror what Clemens did in 2006 and 2007, when he returned in June to pitch for the Houston Astros and then the New York Yankees.
Oswalt's second-half track record suggests that signing the pitcher at midseason might be a coup. According to ESPN Stats & Information, of the 84 pitchers who were active at the end of last season, Oswalt has the best career winning percentage (.739) after the All-Star break (minimum 50 starts).

Oswalt's agent, Bob Garber, has told media outlets that Oswalt is planning to make an announcement Thursday, but provided no further details. Garber didn't respond to phone calls or texts for this story.

Oswalt is 159-93 with three All-Star appearances in 11 seasons with Houston and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers are among the clubs that expressed interest in Oswalt this offseason, but weren't able to fit him into their budget or starting rotation.

Interesting turn of events if this is true.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

I don't know why he would wait, though. There is obvious interest from multiple teams that would be in the running for the playoffs, and the Rangers have maintained their interest. If they added him, that would be huge for the club.

 

[Goober]

I don't know why he would wait, though. There is obvious interest from multiple teams that would be in the running for the playoffs, and the Rangers have maintained their interest. If they added him, that would be huge for the club.

The only contending team that made him a decent offer was Detroit, and that was before they signed Fielder.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

The only contending team that made him a decent offer was Detroit, and that was before they signed Fielder.

I guess where I am coming from, my concern wouldn't be money. If you have competing teams making you offers, you go play for them. Oswalt has already made more than enough money to last him for the rest of his life- just go out there and play the game and pick the team that gives you the best chance to win.