"If the Cardinals indeed have a chance to sign Roy Oswalt, they should go for it. As we sit here on Monday morning, I have no idea where it stands. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has consistently downplayed the team's interest in Oswalt. Over the weekend, some non-STL media outlets jumped the gun by reporting that Oswalt was signing with the Cardinals. Other reports have Oswalt meeting with the Texas Rangers today (Monday). The Cardinals presumably are monitoring the situation.

* Oswalt, 34, was limited to 139 IP last season because of physical problems, namely a bad back. His overall 2011 numbers offer warning signs; last season Oswalt experienced a slight drop in velocity, a decline in swing-and-miss rate, and saw his strikeout rate go down. That would be an obvious reason for concern. But when Oswalt returned from the DL early last August, the pitching indicators recovered with him. Not only did Oswalt regain his usual velocity (92 mph) on the fastball but it actually improved, as he hit 94, 95 mph in some late-season starts. His strikeout rate, 5.3 per 9 innings before the DL stay, spiked to 6.8 per nine innings over the final two months. A healthy Oswalt still had plus stuff. "