Roy Oswalt is sitting at home, catching up on Downton Abbeys training diligently, hoping that a team will meet his particular requirements with money and location. The Boston Red Sox were said to be out, mostly because Oswalt didn't want to pitch that far north. But from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, we have whispers that the dream might not be dead:
It’s early in the Daniel Bard experiment. The jury is out on whether Bard will be needed more in the bullpen with Andrew Bailey showing signs of nagging injuries. Oswalt is still in play, and later in camp, the Red Sox could put on a full-court press for him.
If the full-court press doesn't work, they could huddle up and go for an end-around, making a power play for him before throwing a Hail Mary if all else fails.
The baseball season is very, very, very long, so it's a little presumptuous to chide Oswalt for wanting to stay close to his family. And if this is all a negotiating ploy to make the Red Sox overpay, well, that's sort of brilliant. And risky. It wouldn't be as risky as the Red Sox going into the season with the back end of their rotation being held together with crossed fingers and sprite kisses, of course. It's still the best fit for both sides. It's just up to Oswalt to a) settle or b) figure that out.