Baseball

He also added that returning to Philadelphia is "not gonna happen" and that signing with the Reds "doesn't seem like it's going to happen." Stark thinks Oswalt's choices will come down to Boston, "where they have a clear need but he doesn't seem to want to play," and St. Louis, "where all his friends say he would love to be... but to do that, he has to do it on their terms." It's clear at this point that Oswalt's offseason hasn't gone as he'd hoped, and he's running out of time to pick a new home.

Oswalt is still aiming to sign with a competitive team in the Midwest to be close to his Mississippi home and northern Missouri farmland. He's said to prefer the Rangers or Cardinals, but neither team has made an attractive offer. The 34-year-old right-hander posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 93/33 K/BB ratio across 139 innings (23 starts) last season while dealing with back issues. He's also drawn attention recently from the Phillies, who may be considering re-signing him.

Blanton's name always seems to be on the trading block, but the Phillies have a real purpose this time around. If they can dump all or part of his $8.5 million salary for 2012 on another team, re-signing Roy Oswalt could become a real option. Blanton, 31, posted a 5.01 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 41 1/3 innings last season while fighting elbow issues. It won't be an easy sell.

The Phillies were comfortable moving on from Oswalt when this offseason began, but the 34-year-old right-hander's asking price has dropped significantly in recent weeks. If the Phils can clear a little payroll -- perhaps through a Joe Blanton trade -- they may get serious about making an offer. For now, Amaro says that a reunion with the free agent Oswalt is "not feasible."

"It's all rumors," Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I'm sick and tired of it. We've had no serious talks. We've had no contact with the player." Oswalt has expressed a desire to sign with either the Rangers or Cardinals to be close to his Mississippi home and northern Missouri farm, but both teams have full rotations. St. Louis did make an offer, but it reportedly fell well short of his $10 million asking price.

Biertempfel says the Bucs "were willing to jump into [the] bidding," but Oswalt quickly told them he had no interest in discussing a contract. The 34-year-old right-hander is hoping to join a contending team, like the Rangers or Cardinals. And perhaps the Reds. He posted a 3.69 ERA and 93/33 K/BB ratio across 139 innings (23 starts) last season while fighting back issues.

"Nothing is about to happen," is how Matthews' source put it. The Yankees are said to be considering Ibanez as a part-time designated hitter, but they've also expressed interest in free agents Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, and could practice patience until asking prices begin plummeting around the start of spring training. Ibanez, 39, batted .245/.289/.419 with 20 home runs and 84 RBI in 144 games last season for the Phillies.