Last week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that Roy Oswalt could sign with a team within the next week. Shortly thereafter, the Texas Rangers worked out Oswalt, which, at the time, just seemed like the Rangers were doing their due diligence, checking in on a pitcher who they flirted with heavily throughout the offseason.
Apparently, things changed when Neftali Feliz landed on the disabled list with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. Now, according to Buster Olney, the Rangers are expected to sign Oswalt.
Full expectation among some rival execs is that Roy Oswalt will land with Texas, because of connection with Maddux, Ryan, proximity to Miss.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 23, 2012
It's unknown how quickly the Rangers are expected to sign Oswalt, but, given that Oswalt will need to start out in the minors and work his way back to the majors, sooner rather than later seems to make sense.
If true, and the Rangers do sign Oswalt, it could signal that the Rangers are more worried about Feliz than they're letting on. After all, Scott Feldman should be a capable replacement for the next six to eight starts.
We'll see in the coming days if Olney is correct. All signs the past week have been pointing to Oswalt and the Rangers coming to an agreement, so there's little reason to doubt Olney's sources.