General manager Jon Daniels said the Rangers will consider signing pitcher Roy Oswalt in the wake of Neftali Feliz’s elbow injury.

“Everything is on the table,” Daniels said Monday. (T.R. Sullivan – MLBlogs)

Oswalt reportedly wants to sign with someone soon. He recently threw for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies but most importantly threw for the Rangers on Friday. With Texas now in need of a starter things could progress very quickly.

The Rangers will go with Scott Feldman as Neftali’s replacement on Wednesday, after that who knows. Feldman isn’t a guy you want starting long term so I like Oswalt’s chances here of finding a home.

Now if Dr. Andrews gives a negative report on Vance Worley’s elbow then Oswalt is going to have options himself.

The Reds are not seeking outside help at third base with Scott Rolen on the disabled list.

“No, because Scott’s not going to be out that long,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “The other thing is I think this is a good opportunity for (Todd) Frazier. It give him an opportunity to play and see what he can do.”

The Reds have had no discussions with the Boston Red Sox, Jocketty said. That shoots down the rumors that the Reds are interested in trading for Kevin Youkilis. (John Fay – Cincinnati.com)

Fay does add that things could change if Rolen would be on the disabled list longer then expected and Frazier struggles.

Right now Frazier doesn’t look to bad. In 2012 he’s batting .270 with two doubles, two triples, a homer and three runs batted in over 37 at-bats. The one negative is his tendency to strikeout, he’s struck out 11 times already.

Jacoby Ellsbury has better range of motion in his shoulder according to Bobby Valentine. Ellsbury is with the team on the road trip and is now wearing a brace instead of a sling.

So yeah, see what I mean not much improvement but there is some. This is essentially a baby step. I’d say he’s still at least four to five weeks away, minimum.

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Crawford will start the season on the disabled list after wrist surgery, but Cody Ross’s righthanded pop should help. (Nick Cafardo – Boston Globe)

One of the reasons for the Sox failure last year was the shortcomings of Crawford. He dropped an absolute dud when faced with all of these high expectations. For the Sox to succeed in 2012 they were going to need to have Carl rebound strong.

When I first started this post I was thinking this could hurt the Sox even more as it will take him a while to rebound from the injury. The more I think about it though the wrist surgery could help him.

What most people don’t realize is Crawford wasn’t really that bad in 2011, I didn’t realize it either till I started this. On the road he was your typical Carl at Fenway he was well a piece of shit. Sorry but that’s the best way to put it.

Home: .195-3-22 with nine doubles and three triples, with six steals.
Away: .285-8-34 with 20 doubles and six triples, with 12 steals.

That’s one hell of a split isn’t it? In only 60 games on the road Crawford notched more then 50% of his career norms in all of those statistics except steals. If he only performed a little bit better at home he could have had career highs in doubles, triples and homers.

Where I think this injury could help is that Carl can shut off his brain and just do what he does best. Early on the wrist will effect his power so really that should have Crawford just do what he does best. Rely on his speed game which isn’t what it used to be but is better then most.

To be successful he’ll have to just think like he does on the road, hit it where the defense isn’t. He’ll have to ignore Pesky Pole and the Monster, stop trying to take advantage of those and play his game. We know Fenway doesn’t suit his skill set but he can still take advantage. Play like he does on the road and he could have a monster rebound season.

@jcrasnick: The Scutaro trade frees up some $$ for #RedSox to make an “aggressive bid” for Roy Oswalt, said a baseball source

By trading Scutaro the Sox freed up $6 million which could be all they need to land Roy. Oswalt is said to be looking for a one-year deal worth around $8 million. The asking price isn’t too bad considering his injury history and only starting 23 games in 2011.

Jerry Crasnick brought up one good question earlier this evening regarding this rumor.

@jcrasnick: If #RedSox wanted to free up $$ for a run at Oswalt, why have they already signed Padilla, Silva, Cook and Andrew Miller?

My answer would be the other guys are all cheap, throw a dart and hope you get a bullseye type. You know Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon types that the New York Yankees struck gold with last year.

I’d say the Sox brought them in hopes they can find a starter as they weren’t sure if they could free up the money for a solid starter like Oswalt.

Can’t blame them for covering their asses. If they bring in Oswalt and strike gold then they’ve got some good depth in their rotation. Even if no minor league deal works out they’d have a serious upgrade if Roy is brought in.

@JonHeymanCBS: Padilla getting closer to #redsox deal

I’m not surprised at all by this news after the Yankees dominated headlines last night they probably feel pressed to make a move. Nothing major but just a move especially one that will address one of their main areas of weakness in 2011.

Padilla is an attractive option he’s still got filthy stuff but the question is can he stay healthy? I’m sure any deal will be incentive filled to protect the team should he miss time. He hasn’t started more then 30 games since 2006 or thrown over 100 innings since 2009.

Who knows though he could be their Bartolo Colon and give them some early season magic till his arm falls off.

Veteran free-agent righthander Roy Oswalt would be an excellent veteran presence in Boston’s starting rotation, and even though the Red Sox are aware that Oswalt would be open to a one-year deal, he still appears to be out of Boston’s price range.

The Sox may have competition from the Yankees on Oswalt, who is also being eyes by the St. Louis Cardinals, where Oswalt would love to pitch. (Nick Cafardo – Boston Globe)

I’m not surprised that Oswalt would “love” to pitch for the defending Major League champions. He had the taste of pitching in a superstar rotation last year and pitched quite well in the fourth spot with no pressure. In St. Louis he’d most likely enjoy the same luxury thanks to Cris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia.

The only question in my mind would be will the Cardinals match the dollar figure he’s looking for. If they are I’d expect him in St. Louis and staying put in the National League.

Four American League contenders — the Rangers, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays — have shown interest in free-agent left-hander Darren Oliver, a major-league source told FOXSports.com.

Oliver, 41, is coming off a season in which he posted a career-low 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances for the Texas Rangers.

Oliver pitched for the Red Sox (2002) and Angels (2007-2009) earlier in his career.

Oliver has reached the postseason in each of the last six years but is still looking for his first World Series ring. So, he is almost certain to sign with a team that has a realistic chance of winning it all in 2012. He lives with his family in the Dallas area, so a return to the Rangers would be easiest from a personal standpoint. (FOX Sports)

With all of these teams involved now his price tag has definitely gone up. In 2011 he made $3.25 million with the Rangers and could get more then that if a bidding war ensues.

Who would have ever thought that so many teams would be interested in a 41-year old? I guess when you’re a lefty and coming off the best season in years, possibly his career, I guess that will happen.

@MikeSilvermanBB: #RedSox will meet with agent for CJ Wilson and Roy Oswalt in Dallas at Winter Meetings. #MLB

The decision to meet with their agent is of no surprise as they’ve got plenty of question marks in next years rotation. The only two sure things are Josh Beckett and John Lester, they’ve also got Clay Buchholz returning from injury. Their other two high priced pitchers John Lackey and Dice-K will be out for the year following Tommy John surgery.

For how great they’ve been in developing players recently, they’ve got no one in the minors ready so they’ll have to spend. I’m just surprised they’re contemplating number one and two type pitchers. With their current payroll I didn’t think they’d go crazy on the spending again this winter.

Then again with the collapse they had in 2011, maybe they need too.