The Cardinals and Rangers — Roy Oswalt’s preferred teams earlier this year — both have questions in their rotations, but it doesn’t sound as though either team is in the mix for the free agent right-hander at this time. The Cardinals aren't sure how much time Chris Carpenter will miss, and Neftali Feliz got his shoulder checked out this week, so both of last year’s World Series contestants may have less pitching than expected.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Cardinals prefer to rely on internal options and that the Rangers aren’t currently keen on Oswalt (all links go to Twitter). The Cardinals will rely on Lance Lynn, who’s currently being stretched out as a starter. The Rangers can turn to Alexi Ogando or Scott Feldman if Feliz’s injury proves to be more serious than expected.
As Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out (Twitter links), Andy Pettitte’s $2.5MM salary establishes precedent for Oswalt should he also sign soon. Oswalt prefers the Cardinals, according to Sherman.
There’s nothing new on Carpenter for it to make any more sense for the Cardinals to go after Oswalt now than there was a month ago. If Oswalt has decided he isn’t going to sign until mid-season, then he probably isn’t in good enough “baseball shape” to be ready to start the regular season in two weeks.
Unless the Cardinals have reason to believe that Carpenter will not be back 2-3 weeks into the season, they would still be signing Oswalt to a full rotation. I imagine it would take Oswalt at least a month to be ready for the regular season.
Carpenter is heading to the DL, experiencing weakness in shoulder and neck, supposed to see nerve specialists. I think you give Lance Lynn a few weeks maybe a month, see how it goes
oswalt should rethink the 1 year 10 million dollar deal detroit offered him….that would be an even more solid top 4 in the rotation.
Verlander
Scherzer
Fister
Oswalt
Porcello.
with that offense….scary.
Well what has Oswalt said exactly? I mean there’s a lot of speculation, but not much else. Oswalt should be well rested and I am willing to bet in fairly good shape, but he’s gotta find his location. To me that’s his biggest problem.
Oswalt is good enough to be a starter in 2/3 of the rotations in MLB right now. I am stunned that he is still unsigned.
Tigers have no 5th starter as of right now. Hmmm
that would be a dominant rotation….oswalt should reconsider that 1 year 10 million dollar contract
It’s a little late for Oswalt to reconsider an offer to reconsider an offer that’s been off the table for several months now…
Watch the Red Sox here. Bard has not worked out so far and they might make a push for Oswalt.
I’d read absolutely zero into Bard’s last 2 starts. He was experimenting with pitch selections that just wouldn’t occur in an actual game situation, and paid for it. He’s looked pretty good aside from a few March-only mistakes.
I’d still be cool with Roy at the back of the rotation as well, don’t get me wrong here, but at the expense of the Fifth Starter To Be Named Later And/Or By Committee, not at Bard’s.
Yeah, he seemed to be working on his slider in his last start (50% or more of the pitches he threw were sliders). He’s not throwing that many sliders in a real game.
I think we’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell of signing him. He’s all but publicly declared he wants nothing to do with Boston. Then again, if he really wants to pitch, he may have to make some sacrifices.
I’ve got to think Oswalt can do better than Pettitte… Pettitte didn’t pitch at all last year, Roy did, he was just inconsistent.
So it would seem, then, that the latest on Roy Oswalt is that there is no latest on Roy Oswalt.
Kansas City needs to give Oswalt a ring.
I haven’t heard anything about him being “aloof”, from everything I’ve heard he is an excellent clubhouse presence.