Oswalt expected to sign with Cards
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Oswalt expected to sign with Cards
Daily News staff
Roy Oswalt has made it known that he will settle for a one-year contract but prefers to remain in the National League. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Former Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt is expected to sign a one-year deal with St. Louis, according to espnboston.com.
A source said the deal will be completed "soon" and is pending a physical.
Oswalt, 34, was being feverishly pursued by Boston. Texas also was reportedly interested, and Oswalt is said to have spurned an offer from Detroit earlier this week.
Having pitched his entire career in the National League, he apparently wanted to remain in the NL.
Oswalt went 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA last season but was limited to 23 games because of back problems. He missed the entire month of July.
The Red Sox will now turn their attention to a possible trade with the White Sox for former Phillie Gavin Floyd, according to the report.
Comments (53)
He likes to bunt.— EL Zorro- The Cardinals are going to be tougher this year, even with the departure of Pujols. Wainright is back and they added Beltran, who had a higher OPS than Pujols last year, and now Oswalt to form a very formidable pitching staff. They still have Jaime Garcia and Kyle Loshe, who could be #2 and #3 in a lot of teams.— EL Zorro
- Beltran will spend more time on the DL than playing. Non-factor. He was a non-factor with the Mets and with the Giants. So too will he be here.
- It wasn't Oswalt or Lee's fault that the Phillies lost the playoff series to the Cards. It was the fault of the offense, as it was in 2010 against the Giants. You can't expect your pitchers to go out and pitch shutouts every night. You need a little help from your hitters. I'm a little surprised that the Phillies apparently made no effort to resign him at a lower salary. They must think that Worley and Blanton are gold. — SteveS11
- Yeah # 2 and 3 on non-contenders like HOU, PIT, etc. And let's wait and see what Wainwright does before calling him back. Liriano for the most part has never been the same since he came back from TJ surgery. I wouldn't expect Wainwright to pitch like an ace right away, though he should be better then average. — wildbill99
- He better not get his mojo back— shawnmac
Comment removed.- Ironically, it was Oswalt's lousy performance in Game 4 of the NLDS vs. the Cards that contributed to the Phillies' early exit.— Bill from Delaware
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- This comment has been deleted. — DogBiscuitthedope
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- Oz should have never even pitched game 4..lol Under normal circumstances we sweep them in 3 games and our offense scored enough runs to do so in 3 games. Game 4 and 5 was on almost the whole team including an awful offense. With the rotation we have 4 runs should have held up .Hopefully Lee returns to shutting out teams next year if we return to the post season. We have one guy in Doc who would have never let a 4 game slip away. I doubt Cole would have either even injured and pitching with a hernia — pattymac3
- Wainwright works out like a madman with his trainer at the gym. He looks like he's in great shape. However, Albert is gone. That's a huge subtraction.— Lockyer
- "is pending a physical." Roy, don't hire a real estate agent just yet. By the way, did it seem that he never really liked Philadelphia? Just sayin'.— ManU63
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- thompson.....Bill pointed out the irony of Oswalt signing with the Cardinals after his poor performance against the Cardinals in last year's playoffs.. If Cliff Lee or the entire offense would have signed with the Cardinals, I'm sure he would have pointed out the same irony. He in no way said it was all Oswalt's fault. The key word in the post was 'contributed'. Are you socially or intellectually inept? Your response to Bill's post was absolutely bizarre. Gain some perspective. Learn to read.— CornerPretzelGuy
- He was great in 2010 but not so much last year. I really don't see him getting back to his old form but good luck to him. It was fun having 4 aces.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- The Cardinals got into the playoffs last year on the last day of the season. This year they will not have Pujols for the entire season. Do you think that's going to cost them a few games? Does Broad Street run North and South? Do you really think a man who has spent significant time on the DL for the last two years, has numbers that are going south and is nearing 35 will all of a sudden find a fountain of youth? Might happen. But would you bet your house on it? Don't get me wrong. Oswalt is a great guy with great career numbers. But great career numbers count for nothing when you walk onto the mound. What matters is what you've got TODAY. And Roy's performance last year showed that he hasn't got what he used to have. I wish it were otherwise but it's not. Got to let him go so we can bring in younger arms like the Vanimal.— Al Wilson
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- oswalt wasn't nearly as bad as lee in that series.— Ryan
- I love when clueless people like Hiddingbehindthekeyboard make statements, so I can slapped them on the face with facts.
‘It seems to me that Carlos Beltran has proven himself repeatedly for the Mets since he became a charter member of the “New Mets” in 2005. He has excelled both offensively and defensively and has been one of the most complete players in franchise history. When other players have not performed, Carlos Beltran has done his best to carry the team on his back. For example, when the team crumbled in the final month of the 2007 and 2008 season, Beltran did not. Carlos had 8 HR, 27 RBI and 22 runs scored in September 2007 and followed that up with an outstanding September in 2008 (.344, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 22 runs scored, .440 OBP, .645 SLG).’
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/07/end-of-an-era-carlos-beltrans-franchise-records-and-rankings.html
The fact that he has been hurt the last couple of years (See Chase Utley), doesn’t undermine the great player he has been for a long time.
— EL Zorro - Pujols, as great as he has been, was the third best player on the team last year behind, Berkman and Holliday you can argue and was more or less a non factor during the playoffs, except for his 3 HR game. And for the last couple of years he had some injury issues.— EL Zorro
- There's another problem. The Cards, with Wainwright coming back have 6 starters with only 5 jobs. Someone will have to move to the bullpen and I was reading where Oswalt said he wasn't going to pitch out of the pen. That's liable to ruffle some feathers.— bobbyuk
- If someone told you that Doc and Cole won their games and Lee had a 4 game lead wouldn't you think we would have swept the Cards? Sorry Oz stunk but he never should have had the chance to stink if Lee did what he has done 100 percent of the time with a 4 run lead. The 1st 3 games the offense did more then enough to sweep the Cards and this whole off season talk on how bad we are supposed to be could be rewritten By the way I love Oz and think he will be the best pick up of the whole season— pattymac3
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- I wouldn't write Oswalt off yet. When he's not injured he's remained very consistent. His back has been an issue at times but overall he's also stayed off the DL. So chances are we hit his statistical DL time last year and he'll be fine this year. Really good pitchers can stay close to peak performance longer than position players. Oswalt barely even lost any velocity last year and that small drop may be entirely due to his time on and off the DL. He could have a few good years left if he wants to keep pitching. I also agree with ProFan1 -- Oswalt's issues last year were more about family than his back. No way to predict that stuff. I'd put odds on him having a typical Oswalt year for the Cards. Hopefully not when we face them.— s
- He never delivered here…never met expectations in my opinion. Seems like he is over the hill and hope that proves to be the case for the Cardinals too!— connorjr
- Oswalt is finished. I guess his family problems not his back took five MPH off his fastball. Do you really think the Phils would have let him walk if they thought he could still pitch? Was it really worth picking up his 16 million dollar option? The commenters who are defending Oswalt must not have watched him pitch last season. It was time to move forward. If they need pitching help in July, I'm sure "Trader Reuben" will have another rabbit to pull out of his hat.— ManU63
- His velocity was down when he first came back from the DL but overall, he only lost 1mph in 2011 over 2010. That overall loss of 1mph may be largely due to how bad it was when he first returned.
I just wouldn't count him out. I think he was too expensive for the Phils based on what he showed last year and with Worley's performance it was an easy call to let him go to free up some cash. For those who say he never delivered here, you can't discount 2010. He had a stellar end of season after we picked him up. I will not be surprised to see him return to 2009/2010 form with the Cards. I think it's unlikely he wins 20 games any more but I think he's still capable of hitting the high teens. Age-wise he's the same age as Halladay, a year older than Lee. Top-notch pitchers can often maintain very good performance into their mid or even late 30's.— s - He was a major help in 2010 but I'm fine with him going. He likely will get $6 million or more and we have greater needs. He was one of the top pitchers in the game at Houston. Not so, any longer.
— eman - @ Al Wilson: Al, I LOVED what The Vanimal did for us last year too. But....Ahhhh, the infamous "BUT"!.....I will be holding my breath for the first time around the League. That man had more good breaks go his way than any pitcher I have ever SEEN! This is NOT an attack, but an observation. Believe me, I not only hope things keep going his way, but that his good fortune increases. We KNOW we have the very BEST Top Three pitchers in Baseball, and it would be wonderful if the kid ceases to be this grand experiment, and turns out to be a GOOD Number four pitcher. I'd be VERY happy to see him win 15 games, with a decent ERA, and take his turn without injury all season. Let's eat!— TBear
- what would he have cost us? more than blanton? who between them would you rather have as fifth starter? IF...his departure means they'll bring up, and give a decent shot to, a young guy, terrific. somehow, though, i tend to doubt that. and the cardinals? compare the smarts of their gm to ours.— bubba church & granny hamner
- I think if Blanton weren't under contract the Phillies may have kept Oswalt. They can't trade Blanton very easily so that was part of the equation I'm sure.
Let's hope Blanton comes back healthy and can pitch like he did in 2008/2009. He doesn't have to be Cy Young, just a dependable 5th starter.— s - I never felt like Oswalt embraced Philly and clearly never wanted any part of the 4 aces recognition. It seems like he was a notch below, because of health, the way he can really pitch. As for the Cards, like the Giants before them, they got big hits when they needed them from all kinds of players. They were everything we weren't. Clutch.— hawk18
- Mark me down as a clueless fan to because I find Beltran overrated and hurt too often to be effective. I wouldn't want him.— hawk18
- Again, loyalty and treating players with the utmost respect doesn't pay off. If memory serves me correct, RAJ allows Roy Oswalt (while collecting a kool $16 million) to go to his father's farm after the storm (they call if personal reasons in the papers). Nothing like manual labor while collecting that $16 million and kaboom...back that is already fragile, goes out. Still collecting that $16 million, comes back ineffectively. RAJ does not pick up the $16 million option, nor gives the arbitration clause. Oswalt is "dissed" and will sign for someone else for $6-$8 million. But no Philly discount...$16 million or nothing. I guess he simply didn't like it here in Philly, but loved the cash out the door while helping dad.— drhoffman
billfromdelaware, I'm with you . all he had to was out duel future hall of famer Edwin Jackson. thats not asking much. yes there are other issues like hitting but he had the easier pitching match up than the rest of the aces.- Roy wants to be on a REAL World Series Championship caliber team.— sonnybuoy01
- ha ha. Roy wants to keep on bunting and (possibly) playing as a substitute RF in late-innings games. Good luck to you Oswalt - and here's an idea...don't drive around any tractors or clean up tornado debris at any time during the season...this advice may serve you well...— bingbangbong
- Never warmed up to Roy since Tractorgate. "Pending a physical". Hmmm.— RonC1
- Never warmed up to Roy since Tractorgate. "Pending a physical". Hmmm.— RonC1
- Mark me down as a clueless fan to because I find Beltran overrated and hurt too often to be effective. I wouldn't want him.
— hawk18
So I guess you don't want Chase Utley either.
You are not only clueless, you are an idiot (and I don’t like to offend people). Beltran overrated? Are you kidding me? He was rookie of the year, a 6 time AS, a three time GG, a two time Silver Slugger Winner (which is very difficult to achieve) and in the postseason he had .366 BA, 11 HR and 1.302 OPS in 22 games. Think about it 11 HR in 22 games. 8 SB without being caught and 19 RBI. Yes, you are clueless.
— EL Zorro - Oh, Beltran has stolen 293 bases and has only been thrown out 41 times. I think he has the best SB% record. I have to check on that.— EL Zorro
- This whole story maybe a little premature. MLB Trade Rumors reports that no signing is close and the Oswalt may be meeting with the Rangers on Monday. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/01/cardinals-close-to-agreement-with-roy-oswalt.html— Jersey_Joe
- RAJ spent so much effort on acquiring good pitching over the past few years and nothing on hitters. While good pitching will win you games, you still need to hit. Look what happened to us in the postseason for the past 3 years. Our hitters just couldn't do it in the clutch. So much for the 4 aces of 2011. It got us to the postseason, but it couldn't buy us a run when we needed it in the NLDS against the Cards.— drjk888
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- Baffled by the forensic behavioral analysis of some posters, "He never really embraced the team..." Unless your around the club, really how would you know? And what bearing did that have on his effectiveness? Oswalt was effective his entire career including 2010 when he came here. Last year he fought a persistent injury and was less so. But saying he was not a good team guy is a baseless and juvenile comment.— Special Agent Fox Mulder
- Oswalt was not liked by all fans because he don't ha ave the pretty boy looks or flash that Lee has. However he's a really good pitcher and competitor, and helped the Phils immensely in the 2010 season, which somehow seems lost on some fans. He will help the Cards.— watsonmr
- I guess if you can't beat the Cardinals, join them!— schmolik
- There is an ESPN Boston, there are other ESPN city sites, we should start an ESPN Philadelphia!— schmolik
- Seriously all this great talk about the Cardinals hitters, I tell you they were stealing signs or something. There is no other way some of those scrubs like Theriot and Furcal could have owned The Phillies starters, no way. They were crushing them, you all should know better. It will come out one day.— BCRock
- He may bat 8th— NewMick314
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