Rockies Considering Oswalt for 2012
It seems in every post or conversation about the shortfalls of the Rockies in 2011, the main subject comes down to A; injuries, and B; pitching. In my last post, I covered both of these things, but I did not cover the answers to these troubles, besides the coming back of Juan Nicasio, and the farther away, rejoining of Jorge De LA Rosa. The Rockies have some men they are looking to cultivate at the majors, in Spring Training, and the regular season, but if they want to eliminate their problem, those players will not be the complete answer. In the past, and in the future, free agents and trades will dramatically change the roster for the Rockies, in the season, and offseason. During the season, second and third basemen were both acquired, as the Rockies picked up Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Mark Ellis, in during-season trades. The Rockies will also need to have some trades in the offseason, as they may with pitcher Roy Oswalt. There are always many, many rumors of trades around the internet and the conversations about the major leagues, but only some are true. I try to keep to information from MLB official sources, and indeed this report is founded on the facts of information from the Rockies.
The Rockies are considering picking up former Phillies pitcher, Roy Oswalt. The Rockies have had some problems getting their pitchers to pitch deep into a game, and Oswalt may be able to keep the bullpen mostly out of the games. Oswalt has been good for the Phils, but they declined his large $16 million option for the 2012 Season with the Phillies. Oswalt did not have a great season, going 9-10, with only a 3.69 ERA. Those numbers are OK, for a pitcher but the one of the really big numbers for the Rockies at the moment, as they consider him, is the innings pitched. Oswalt has an impressive 139 innings, on only 23 starts. The 2011 Season with the Phillies, included two times on the DL, with some back problems for Oswalt. Those two stints keep his future looking somewhat iffy, as the Rockies look to make sure there are as few people on the DL in the Seasons to come.
Oswalt is not one of the Phillies real young pitchers, at a middle-aged 34 years old. He was at one point quoted as he was thinking about retirement, but I doubt he is close to leaving baseball, this early. Some reports seem to show that Oswalt is looking for a multi-year deal with a team, and the Rockies could sure use a strong pitcher in the coming seasons, so a multi-year deal would not be out of the picture for the Rockies.
The Rockies really need some reliable pitching, and given the amount of seasons Oswalt has racked up, several more than many other of the Rockies’ men in the bullpen, he is a good bet for a reliable starter. The Rockies do have some young talent, and they have been good for the Rockies, but the 2012 Season could hold better or worse performances from those relatively unknown ability.
The Rockies will most likely try to make some deals in this offseason, with pitchers, including possibly Roy Oswalt. If they do, it could mean a very different outlook for the 2012 Season, pitching, and generally game wise. If they do make some big deals, the Rockies may have the making of a successful young ballclub, in the seasons to come.
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