Roy Oswalt agrees to contract with Texas Rangers

Roy Oswalt had offers from several teams during the off-season. But the three-time All-Star pitcher decided to wait until the right situation came along before committing to his 12th major league season.

That situation arrived Tuesday, when the Texas Rangers -- the team with the best record in the American League -- agreed to a minor-league deal with the free-agent pitcher, who is expected to make his first start with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday before joining the Rangers’ rotation within a few weeks.

The deal is worth $4 million if he joins the team by July 1, with Oswalt able to make as much as $1 million more depending on how many starts he makes.

Oswalt had expressed interest in joining the two-time defending AL champs during the off-season, but the team already had its rotation set. Still, the Rangers kept in touch, with team officials going to Mississippi to watch him pitch two weeks ago, days before starter Neftali Feliz went on the disabled list.

Now the timing seems to be right for both sides. Oswalt, who spent most of his career with the Houston Astros, had two stints on the disabled list last season with the Philadelphia Phillies because of lower back inflammation. But Rangers team President Nolan Ryan says Oswalt appears ready to go.

“He’s been throwing for quite a while now, he feels good about where he is,” Ryan said. “I think he’s been away long enough that he’s excited about coming to the Rangers and getting back to pitching on a regular basis.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.