There were reports following the Marco Scutaro trade that the Red Sox would make an aggressive push for free-agent starter Roy Oswalt. They may be in the process of doing just that.
The Sox have made Oswalt an offer, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, but it's reportedly unclear whether he's interested in joining the team.
Heyman reports that Oswalt has already rejected an offer from the Tigers, and the Red Sox are unclear whether he'd come to Boston since he hasn't yet accepted their offer. Oswalt reportedly may prefer the Reds, Rangers or Cardinals.
ESPN's Jim Bowden also reported that the Red Sox have made an offer to free-agent starter Edwin Jackson, and that they actually prefer Jackson over Oswalt.
We'll see how this situation evolves, but it's consistent with the notion that the Sox would become more aggressive in the starting pitching market upon saving money via the Scutaro deal. The team has reportedly reached an agreement with outfielder Cody Ross on a one-year deal, as well.
Oswalt would provide the Red Sox with a solid veteran presence behind the team's top three of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz.
The 34-year-old is coming off an injury-plagued campaign in which he went 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 23 starts for the Phillies. The righty is a three-time All-Star, though, and has finished in the top five for Cy Young voting on five separate occasions.
Oswalt, who's won 20 games twice in his career, is 159-93 with a 3.21 ERA in 339 games (326 starts) over the course of 11 big-league seasons.
