Roy Oswalt ready to sign one-year contract, seven teams show interest – MLB Update
The race for signing players is still on in Major League Baseball and only a handful of players are left for grabs. Most teams are looking to attain strength in defence solely because of the rapid improvement witnessed in the ability of batters to smash home-runs. Further, ballparks previously renowned to favour pitchers are being renovated to make conditions neutral for batters and thus calling for more runs scored per game, on average.
One pitcher who has attracted at least seven teams is Roy Oswalt, a former member of the Philadelphia Phillies’ rotation. Although Oswalt’s performance was decent during this past season, a sudden increase in demand suggests that there might be a shortage of top-quality pitching options. The Phillies, after cementing themselves as the top team in Major League Baseball during the regular season, failed to capitalise in the playoffs and lost in the National League Division Series at the hands of Wild Card entrants St. Louis Cardinals, primarily due to inconsistent pitching.
Philadelphia’s rotation was considered to be the best on the circuit, but a sudden ouster led the management to make some critical decisions, including the departure of Oswalt from the camp. Even though the team, as it stood after crashing in the chase for the World Series crown, was capable of winning the Fall Classic, the management was of the view that it is about time to make some changes which will be of benefit in the longer-run.
Oswalt, on the contrary, was at ease with this development and is sure of signing contract with a big team before spring training begins. Supposedly, a hike in demand for Oswalt was witnessed after an announcement that he is willing to accept one-year contracts as well. This means that he will not be a permanent burden on the team’s payroll and in case he fails to perform as per management’s expectations, the team will be in a position to lay him off.
Monetary value is one issue still to be decided, but it surely will not be as high as the Phillies were paying him. Anything around the 10-million-dollar mark should entice Oswalt to sign the deal.
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