Is Roy Oswalt a good fit for the Diamondbacks?

Former Astros ace Roy Oswalt is still looking for a contract. Could the Arizona Diamondbacks be a possibility for Oswalt. Arizona surprised the baseball world last season with an unlikely turnaround under Manager of the Year Award winner Kirk Gibson. The youthful Diamondbacks won the National League West a year after finishing in last place and have been  making moves to further strengthen their team this off-season.

Arizona G.M. Kevin Towers has already added Trevor Cahill to his starting rotation and could be looking to add another starter. The Diamondbacks tried to sign Hiroki Kuroda but eventually withdrew their offer and signed outfielder Jason Kubel instead. Unlike Oswalt, Kuroda was looking for a multi-year deal. Oswalt’s agent has stated that his client is willing to accept a one-year deal, which could make him an attractive commodity for the D-backs. Arizona has plenty of pitching on the way but could use a guy like Oswalt to bridge the gap. In addition to Kubel, Towers has already signed Aaron Hill and Takashi Saito. So the D-backs probably don’t have a lot left in the way of money to spend on Free Agents. But there may still be enough left in the coffers to sign Oswalt to a one-year deal.

Oswalt’s stock seems to have declined a bit due to a down year in 2011.  Oswalt was 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA for Philadelphia but was limited to only 139 innings due to lower back problems.

Other teams that have been rumored to have interest in Oswalt are the Cardinals, Yankees, and Red Sox. Cardinals G.M. John Mozeliak has said there is no truth to the rumors that the Cards are wooing Oswalt. Also, reports out of Boston are saying that the Red Sox are unable to afford Oswalt or Kuroda. The Red Sox can’t afford it? That just doesn’t sound right.