The Texas Rangers waited for Roy Oswalt for quite some time this past offseason. The free agent pitcher appeared close to signing with multiple teams on numerous occasions, before deciding he would wait until after the start of the 2012 MLB season to join a new team. And after finally deciding to sign with the Rangers, it appears as if both parties could be regretting that decision.
The 34-year-old starter has not pitched that well after signing a pro-rated deal worth roughly $4 million this season. Although the Rangers are 4-2 in his six starts this season, Oswalt posted an ERA of 6.49, which caused the team to move him to the bullpen.
It is safe to say that move did not sit well with Oswalt, who chose to not come out for another inning of relief on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
“I’m a starter,” Oswalt said. “I’m not really a bullpen guy. Well, I mean we’re 4-2 in the games I started. I guess I should’ve been 6-0. Two bad ones and won four of them so … I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes. It wasn’t my decision. I’m down there to throw when they need me, I guess.”
That, for obvious reasons, did not sit well with Texas manager Ron Washington.
“He said he couldn’t go any further,” Washington said. “He said he had enough. To get any more, you have to ask [Oswalt].”
Oswalt has pitched in two relief appearances for the Rangers since being moved to the bullpen, and he has not allowed a run in a total of four innings. While he has pitched better since being removed from the rotation due to the acquisition of Ryan Dempster, clearly he is not happy. And that is causing the Rangers to have a similar feeling toward him.
“Roy prefers to start,” general manager Jon Daniels said following Sunday’s game. “We had a call to make and did what we thought was best for the club. As we all know, things can change. Right now, we’re happy with how things set up, but we understand his point of view.”
As things stand now, he may be the only one who is happy.
Original Story:
http://www.hardballchat.com/2012/08/r...
