It was just a couple of days ago when it seemed like Roy Oswalt was almost certainly a St. Louis Cardinal. But sources, people with knowledge of team's thinking, and people close to the situation can all jump the gun, it seems. Oswalt is still out there, and apparently he's the Yuniesky Betancourt of creating good leverage. From Ken Rosenthal:

Oswalt wants to pitch either for the Texas Rangers or St. Louis Cardinals, yet is not an easy fit for either team.

Talks are fluid and can accelerate quickly, but Oswalt’s agent, Bob Garber, appears to be in a bind. If Oswalt does not want to play for the Boston Red Sox or any other interested club, all the agent can do is wait. And the Rangers and Cardinals know it.

Oswalt would love to pitch in Texas, close to home. Alas, the Rangers already have five starters, and they're pushing a sixth candidate to the bullpen, where they're also stacked. The Cardinals know this, so they can be the jerks who don't call until three days after the first date. They have all the leverage.

As for the Red Sox, who have an opening, an acute need, and a clear yen for Oswalt's services? It sure looks like if Oswalt wanted to be a Red Sock, he would be by now. Or maybe this whole thing is a way to make the Red Sox overpay for his services. Maybe instead of the Yuni of creating leverage, he's the Omar Vizquel. He could do this for decades more if required.