Poll Results: Red Sox fans want Roy Oswalt
With the bullpen starting to round into form, thanks to the acquisition of Andrew Bailey, Ben Cherington has said he is still focused on improving the starting rotation. While he will continue to take the patient approach, Red Sox fans and readers of BoSox Injection have offered up their opinion as we tend to do once in a while. The latest poll results show that Red Sox fans want Cherington and his posse to sign Roy Oswalt.
There were 120 total votes and the results were overwhelming for the free-agent Oswalt. 90 votes or 75% were in favor of signing the crafty veteran and former NLCS MVP, while the remaining 25% felt it wasn’t a good idea.
We asked the question if you thought the Red Sox should sign Oswalt after it was learnt that he would accept a one-year deal rather than the three-year contract he was seeking, in an effort to prove he’s still healthy. With the lack of depth of starting pitchers in this year’s class of free-agents, Oswalt now headlines the remaining options along with Edwin Jackson.
The former Phillies pitcher was sidelined twice last season with a nagging back injury, one that Oswalt says is behind him now and confirms that he is 100% healthy.
Multiple teams are said to be interested in Oswalt now that he’s willing to take a one-year deal. The Blue Jays are aggressively pursuing Matt Garza at the moment and the Yankees have said to have interest in Oswalt, but not to the overwhelming level. This could be an excellent time for Cherington to swoop down and snag the 34-year old Oswalt which would help solidify the back end of the rotation.
Other free-agent names such as Hiroki Kuroda and Joe Saunders seem to have taken the Red Sox spotlight away from Oswalt in the last couple of days, so perhaps his shaky back is too much of a concern for Cherington.
As always, we’ll keep you updated when any news breaks so be sure to check back often. Thank-you to those who participated in the Oswalt poll.
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