Why not Roy Oswalt?

[YoungStuna]

His ERA was terrible at 5.80 ERA last year, but his xFIP was 3.27, his velocity was still pretty good, he missed bats, limited walks, and is familiar with NL East competition.

I think he would be a better bet than Shaun Marcum and is a low-risk/high reward signing. Bringing him in would be provide solid veteran leadership for our young pitching staff coming up.

Santana, Harvey, Niese, Oswalt, Gee is a pretty solid rotation. Our depth would be strong with guys like Hefner, Wheeler, Gorski possibly available to come up.

[metswon69]

If he is ready to pitch from the outset i don't see why taking a chance on him would be a bad idea.

Honestly though with his chronic back issues and his poor performance last year i think its more likely he doesn't pitch again.

It's one of those where his XFIP didn't tell the whole story.

He had a BABIP against of .378 and yes a lot of that is the ballpark in Arlington but his peripherals didnt look great besides the strikeouts.

[Nymfan87]

Oswalt only wants to pitch for a contender. He's not coming here, sorry.

[BradHolt4CYoung]

Not a chance he would want to pitch here.

[YoungStuna]

If he is ready to pitch from the outset i don't see why taking a chance on him would be a bad idea.

Honestly though with his chronic back issues and his poor performance last year i think its more likely he doesn't pitch again.

It's one of those where his XFIP didn't tell the whole story.

He had a BABIP against of .378 and yes a lot of that is the ballpark in Arlington but his peripherals didnt look great besides the strikeouts.

He's going to pitch next year.

How does xFIP not tell the whole story? His .378 BABIP is way out of line with his career numbers, or even 2011. His 18.6% HR/FB rate was outrageous, and some of that attributed to pitching in Arlington.

His strikeouts weren't the only good thing about Oswalt, his BB/9 was a fantastic 1.68. His LOB% and BABIP were all out of norm for him and he would be a great buy low option for the Mets.

[YoungStuna]

Oswalt only wants to pitch for a contender. He's not coming here, sorry.

Why would a contender want a guy with a 5.80 ERA last year? Texas doesn't want him back and they didn't start him down the stretch. The market hasn't been hot for him this off-season.

If he wants to be with a contender, it would be best for him to sign a one-year deal to regain his value.

[metswon69]

He's going to pitch next year.

How does xFIP not tell the whole story? His .378 BABIP is way out of line with his career numbers, or even 2011. His 18.6% HR/FB rate was outrageous, and some of that attributed to pitching in Arlington.

His strikeouts weren't the only good thing about Oswalt, his BB/9 was a fantastic 1.68. His LOB% and BABIP were all out of norm for him and he would be a great buy low option for the Mets.

The peripherals weren't great even if the strikeouts and low walk rate were there.

Of course that can be attributed to Arlington to some degree but i seriously doubt he comes back unless its for a contender. He made that move to the Rangers last year specifically for that reason.

[YoungStuna]

The peripherals weren't great even if the strikeouts and low walk rate were there.

Of course that can be attributed to Arlington to some degree but i seriously doubt he comes back unless its for a contender. He made that move to the Rangers last year specifically for that reason.

His peripherals were still excellent.

[metswon69]

His peripherals were still excellent.

I dont see how 12 hits per nine innings, the lowest LOB% of his career, a negative WPA the last 2 seasons, and a WHIP of 1.53 is excellent?

I am sure he will pitch better (but who doesn't away from Arlington?) if he does pitch this season and Bill James has him having significantly better numbers but i don't trust him from an injury standpoint and his lack of interest to pitch for anything but a contender.

[YoungStuna]

H/9 is not a peripheral stat. A low LOB% and high BABIP is attributed more to bad luck(see James Shields in 2010) Yeah he probably wouldn't pitch here, and I have heard rumors about him "not wanting it enough."

[DirtyJerZ]

I think this is an excellent call and I would love to have a year of Oswalt. From a fan's perspective, I would have a fun time watching him. As a 5th starter on a 4th place team, that says a lot if the 5th starter is fun to watch

[metswon69]

H/9 is not a peripheral stat. A low LOB% and high BABIP is attributed more to bad luck(see James Shields in 2010) Yeah he probably wouldn't pitch here, and I have heard rumors about him "not wanting it enough."

I know but the number itself is indicative of how ineffective he was last year.

There is always gonna be bad luck involved when a pitcher pitches in such a hitter's paradise and his numbers should improve but i just don't see him coming here.

The back is a big concern with Oswalt too but i don't what i am arguing about.

I agree with your overall point that he is a good buy low option.

[Dugmet]

It has been reported that Oswalt only wants to pitch for a contender. Wants to stay as close to home as possible, and/or prefers a half-season. People have raised questions about his desire to pitch.

[JohnNY62]

You could knock me over with a feather if Roy Oswalt agreed to play for EITHER NY team. NYC doesn't fit his comfort zone.

[METSandJETS94]

Every year at the trade deadline the Mets used to try to trade for Oswalt. He's now available and cheap. We should take a chance on him. Sign him to a 1-year deal. It's good for both of us.

He could bounce back to old form and we could have a solid rotation 1-5. He's cheap and we have nothing to lose.

No other team is going after him. If we don't sign him he most likely won't be playing anywhere. If he wants to play for a contender he should sign with us to prove he could still pitch. Being in the NL and in a pitcher's park should help boost his stats too.