Roy Oswalt Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Oswalt, Delmon, Sizemore, Ross, Ludwick

Here's the latest from the Winter Meetings on a handful of free agents:

• Roy Oswalt is unsure about whether he'll pitch in 2013, one of his agents tells Morosi.
• The Mariners checked in on Delmon Young, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi reported previously that Young might wait until January to sign given his November ankle surgery.
• Grady Sizemore had been drawing interest from a few clubs, including the Red Sox, but he won't be a real option until midseason, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  Agent Joe Urbon confirmed to Castrovince that his client underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in September.
• Besides being interested in Scott Hairston, the Yankees are also eyeing Cody Ross, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
• The Mariners have checked in on Ryan Ludwick, among other hitters, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
• Cesar Izturis' reps are expected to meet with the Mets this week and there could be a match there, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Earlier updates:

• The Orioles' interest in righty Brett Myers appears minimal, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, and they have no meetings set up with his reps.
• The Twins are one team with early interest in southpaw John Lannan, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  The Pirates also have an eye on Lannan, reported Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review earlier today.
• The Cubs are talking to many agents about bullpen help and they like Jason Grilli, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.
• Solid interest in Jason Bay (from teams other than Boston) may lead to a Major League deal, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.  
• The Marlins are interested in utility man Mark DeRosa, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 37-year-old had indicated at season's end that he was unsure what his future held.
• The Royals are "sending out signals" that they have the money and the motivation to pursue a pitcher who could be considered a No. 1, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. A run at Anibal Sanchez isn't out of the question for Kansas City, according to Knobler.
• Tigers people continue to say the team isn't even considering Rafael Soriano, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. However, Sherman notes that owner Mike Ilitch's great relationship with Scott Boras still makes Detroit a wild card in the Soriano sweepstakes.
• Rival executives view the Nationals as a good fit for Mike Pelfrey, especially considering GM Mike Rizzo and Scott Boras have a history of working out deals, says Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitterlinks).
• Teams are showing "no hesitation whatsoever" in pursuing Jeff Keppinger, who underwent surgery to repair a right fibula fracture, agent Keith Grunewald tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitterlinks).
• Jason Giambi would like to continue his playing career, and is drawing interest from three or four teams, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

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NL West Notes: Padres, D'Backs, Dodgers, Oswalt

The Padres announced that the ownership group led by the Seidler/O’Malley families and Ron Fowler completed the purchase of the team for $800MM. Fowler is the team’s control person and the ownership group includes two sons and two nephews of Peter O’Malley, the Dodgers’ longtime owner. Tom Garfinkel will stay on as the Padres' president and CEO and Josh Byrnes will remain the team’s executive VP and general manager.

Here are today’s NL West links...

• The Padres' new owners offered more platitudes than specifics when addressing the media today, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The owners didn't say where the team's payroll will sit.
• The Dodgers continue spending aggressively, but it doesn’t seem to bother the Diamondbacks’ top officials. Managing general partner Ken Kendrick told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he has “no problem competing with these folks." Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said "there is so much more to building a championship team than just exorbitant salaries."
• The Diamondbacks will be able to contend with the Dodgers if their young core of starting pitchers can stay healthy and perform, Piecoro writes. If pitchers such as Tyler Skaggs, Wade Miley and Trevor Bauer can continue to pitch effectively as pre-arbitration eligible players, Arizona can spend elsewhere. Relying on young starting pitching isn’t foolproof, but it’s been done before, as Piecoro explains.
• One Dodgers person didn’t seem enthused about the possibility of trading for Roy Oswalt, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Oswalt has cleared waivers and the Rangers will consider trading him. The Dodgers inquired on Oswalt, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.

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Roy Oswalt Clears Waivers

3:45pm: Oswalt said he has been told he cleared waivers three weeks ago, Sullivan reports. The right-hander's contract doesn't include a no-trade clause.

12:23pm: The Rangers are talking to other teams about Oswalt and a trade is "possible," MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports. The Rangers are looking for utility infield help and aren't sure if they'll be able to move Oswalt.

9:46am: Roy Oswalt has cleared waivers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Rangers can now trade the 35-year-old right-hander to any MLB team without waiver-related restrictions.

Oswalt earns a base salary of $5MM this year -- approximately $1MM between now and the end of the season -- and he will hit free agency this fall. He has posted a 5.94 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 50 innings for Texas as a starter and reliever. Rosenthal reports that Oswalt wants to start and suggests the Dodgers could be a possibility. Los Angeles is known to be seeking starting pitching depth.

Here’s MLBTR’s list of players known to have cleared waivers.

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Quick Hits: Oswalt, Bourn, Hendry, Bay Area

The Indians snapped an 11-game losing streak today with a 6-2 victory over the Twins.  The 11-game skid matched a franchise record, set four times previously in Tribe history.  Avoiding a new futility record is of small consolation to the Indians, who were in wild card contention before their streak and now can only look ahead to 2013.

Here's the latest from around the majors....

• The Red Sox scouted Roy Oswalt and expressed interest in him earlier this season but they never made an offer, the veteran right-hander tells Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  Oswalt also said that he didn't insist to pitch for a team close to his home in Mississippi, noting that he was "pretty close" to signing with the Dodgers before finally settling on a contract with the Rangers.
• Michael Bourn "strikes out a lot and doesn't have a great on-base percentage.  He's going to be 30 years old, and guys his age do not get faster. I'd be careful," a scout tells Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The Phillies have been rumored to be interested in signing Bourn as a free agent this winter, with the Nationals and Braves also in the mix for the center fielder.
• Former Cubs GM Jim Hendry has embraced being a special-assignment scout for the Yankees, writes Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.  Brian Cashman said that Hendry played key roles in the signing of first-round draft pick Ty Hensley and in the team's recent trade for Casey McGehee.
• The dispute between the Athletics and the Giants over San Jose territorial rights "might be the most difficult decision in baseball history because of the circumstances," an MLB executive tells Yahoo Sports' Steve Henson.  The executive says there is some belief that the Giants could break protocol and sue the league if the A's are allowed to move.
• Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres thinks the Padres made a good move in extending Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, though wonders if either player can "stay healthy in a heated pennant race."

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West Notes: Oswalt, Giants, Overbay, Dodgers

Rangers pitcher Roy Oswalt was reportedly unhappy about being relegated to the Texas bullpen, leading Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and others to suggest that the veteran put his concerns aside for the sake of the team.  Morosi stopped short of saying that the Rangers should part ways with the veteran, but that notion has undoubtedly crossed the minds of fans who have watched Oswalt struggle this far with his new club.  Here's more out on Oswalt and some items out of the NL West as well..

• Oswalt and Rangers manager Ron Washington met Tuesday and both seemed satisfied that the right-hander is ready to help the bullpen in any way possible, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.  The soon-to-be 35-year-old has also said that he never requested a trade from the club during any point of their disagreement.
• The Giants have looked into signing first baseman Lyle Overbay, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).  However, the Giants would like the first baseman to get some work at Triple-A Fresno first and so far he is not eager to do that.  Overbay was released by the D'Backs yesterday and Reds GM Walt Jocketty says that he isn't interested in his services.
• The new Dodgers ownership has made it clear that they are willing to spend big in order to win, and this may just be the tip of the iceberg, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Heyman adds that the Dodgers were not only willing to eat the remainder of Cliff Lee's sizable contract but offered players in exchange for him as well.

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Pitching Notes: Blue Jays, Lee, Garza, Oswalt

The Blue Jays announced that right-handers Drew Hutchison (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin McGowan (arthroscopic shoulder surgery) will undergo operations on Thursday. Hutchison is expected to return within a year or so, but no timetable is listed for McGowan, who had previous shoulder surgeries in 2008 and 2010. Here are some more notes pertaining to MLB pitchers...

• The Phillies didn’t intend to trade Cliff Lee when the Dodgers claimed him on waivers, but the left-hander could have blocked a move to Los Angeles, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Dodgers are one of the 21 teams on Lee’s no-trade list.
• Matt Garza has a stress reaction in the back of his pitching elbow and has been shut down indefinitely, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Garza, who hasn’t pitched since July 21st, could miss the remainder of the season. If he doesn’t return this year, it’ll affect his offseason trade value. However, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer has said he expects the right-hander to be in Chicago’s 2013 rotation.
• The Rangers need all the pitching they can get, but they don’t need distractions from Roy Oswalt, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. It’s not yet time to release Oswalt, who isn’t pleased with his current role, Morosi adds.

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West Notes: Rangers, Padres, Giants

The Rangers head into their Sunday night matchup against the Angels with an ailing starting rotation. The Rangers have scratched Roy Oswalt from his start tomorrow and Colby Lewis is scheduled to have his forearm examined tomorrow before he's given the green light to make his scheduled start on Tuesday. The Rangers don't believe Oswalt's injury is serious, but he and Lewis can both wind up on the disabled list, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Elsewhere from the AL and NL West:

• Despite their rotation woes, the Rangers' chief trade deadline goal is to add bench depth, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
• With the signing of Carlos Quentin completed earlier today, the Padres are now turning their attention to closer Huston Street. Miller tweets talks are ongoing, but nothing is close right now.
• The Giants are not considering Rick Ankiel to fill their need for a power bat off the bench, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. Baggarly says the Giants crave a right-handed bat at both corner infield spots and the outfield.
• Add the A's to the list of team interested in the Padres' Chase Headley, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.

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Quick Hits: Gio, Phillies, Rangers, Burnett

Brayan Pena's attempt to stretch a single into a double in the 9th inning drew a throw from the outfield and allowed Jarrod Dyson to score from third with the game-winning run in the Royals' 4-3 result over the Brewers tonight.  It was Kansas City's second unusual walkoff victory in as many nights, as they won on a bases-loaded walk from Mike Moustakas on Wednesday.  The Royals picked up the sweep against Milwaukee, winning all three games by one run.

Here's the latest from around the majors...

• The Nationals' trade for Gio Gonzalez was the "best deal anyone made last winter," a rival scout tells Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. "They didn't get him cheap, but he can dominate, and how many starters can you say that about?"  The Nats look like the big winners of the deal thus far, given Washington's first-place position and Gonzalez's Cy Young Award-caliber numbers since joining the team.
• David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News breaks down what the Phillies could possibly receive for some of their top assets on the trade market.
• The Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Astros and Red Sox are positioned to dominate the rumor mill leading up to the trade deadline, predicts Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
• Despite injuries to Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara, Rangers GM Jon Daniels "still feels good" about his bullpen, reports Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (Twitter link).
• A.J. Burnett has brought both veteran leadership and quality pitching to the Pirates, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.  “It was important for our guys to see a guy that’s brought in and it’s not a trading-deadline deal where you have a guy for two months,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “We brought in a guy for two years. He can go ahead and unpack his bags. He’s going to be around, he can be involved, be engaged.”
• Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski outlines his team's pursuit of Roy Oswalt to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.  Dombrowski said the Tigers were prepared to meet Oswalt's salary demands in the offseason but the veteran just didn't want to pitch in Detroit.  Oswalt's representatives contacted Dombrowski again once the season began and Oswalt was without a team, but the Tigers had already moved on with Drew Smyly in the rotation. 

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Stark On Hamels, Ruiz, Scutaro, Willingham, Pirates

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has plenty of news in his latest edition of Rumblings & Grumblings.  Let's dive in and take a look..

• Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says that his value assessment on Cole Hamels hasn't changed but he will have to take his other free agents into account this winter.  "But the biggest thing is all the other decisions we have to make...at third base [Placido Polanco], in center field [Shane Victorino], and at right field [Hunter Pence] and catcher [Carlos Ruiz] in two years. And we haven't solved our left-field situation, either," Amaro said.
• Amaro says that he is high on Ruiz but will consider the club's payroll as a whole before considering a long-term deal.  The GM also pointed out his age (33) and demanding position.  The Phillies hold a $5MM club option for next year on Ruiz, which would put him on the open market  on the verge of his age-35 season.
• The Phillies GM also seems confident that the club won't be in a position to cave before the deadline and become sellers.  For the Phillies to pull the plug and sell, he says the club would have to "fall out of contention pretty significantly."  
• The Tigers might want to consider waiting around for the Rockies' Marco Scutaro as a solution at second base.  Clubs that have checked in with the Rockies say they're still at least a month from selling but Scutaro, Rafael Betancourt, and Jeremy Guthrie are all likely to be available when they do.
• There's been a surprising amount of trade talk surrounding Twins outfielder Josh Willingham but teams that have kicked the tires on him have been rebuffed. 
• The Pirates are telling other teams that they're likely to approach this deadline like they did last year's, looking to add.  They've indicated that they're likely to trade arms for bats, especially hitters they can control beyond this year. 
• Meanwhile, potential shoppers wonder if the Pirates are willing to move enough quality to make a splash.  Pittsburgh is hinting that they'll keep James McDonald, A.J. Burnett, and probably Erik Bedard if they have a shot to win.  If that's the case, they'll instead be shopping the likes of Charlie Morton, Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens, and prospect Rudy Owens, which won't net them the same kind of return.
• Despite reports to the contrary, Roy Oswalt never received offers from the Phillies or Cardinals according to Amaro and a source who spoke with the Cards' brass, respectively.  While there was other interest, it seems that this was a one-team negotiation with Oswalt and the Rangers.

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Quick Hits: Oswalt, Marlins, Hunter, Draft

Free agent left-hander Joe Beimel underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month, and Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter) that the 35-year-old plans to resume his career once healthy. Brown says Beimel pitched with the torn elbow ligament for 3-4 years. Here's the latest from around the league...

• The Angels were very close to signing Roy Oswalt at one point according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, but the right-hander had reservations about leaving his family for an extended period of time. The Rangers signed Oswalt earlier today.
• The Red Sox remained in contact with Oswalt during the season but did not make him an offer, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. They did make him in offer prior to the season.
• “There are always things that can be done," said Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest to reporters (including Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun-Sentinel) when asked if the club can add pieces this summer. "There’s still room for improvement here. Whether that means changes or not, I don’t know. It’s still May."
• Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports (on Twitter) that the Angels have reinstated Torii Hunter from the restricted list. The outfielder spent time away from the team to deal with his son's legal issue.
• In his latest mock draft, ESPN's Keith Law projects the Astros to take Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick in next Monday's draft. "The Astros intend to take whomever they believe is the best player, not the best player for the price," wrote Law.

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