Could Darren Oliver return to Boston nearly 10 years after pitching for the Red Sox? It's a possibility.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that Oliver is keeping an open mind about his 2012 destination, and that the Red Sox are among the teams checking in on the free-agent reliever.
The 41-year-old lefty has become a reliable reliever in recent years after spending much of the late 1990s and early 2000s as a starter. He appeared in 14 games — nine of which were starts — for the Red Sox in 2002 after coming over from the Rangers in a trade for Carl Everett, and went 4-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 58 innings that season.
Oliver went 5-5 with a 2.29 ERA in 51 innings with the Rangers last season, which marks the fourth straight year he's finished with an ERA below 3.00. The 18-year veteran is 112-90 with a 4.60 ERA in 654 career games (229 starts).
The veteran hurler has spent time with the Angels, Cardinals, Mets, Rockies, Astros and Marlins in addition to his time with the Red Sox and Rangers. He's spent 10 of his 18 seasons in Texas over the course of three different stints with the club.
It's been assumed for much of the offseason that Oliver would either return to the Rangers or retire, but Crasnick said that's not necessarily the case.
Oliver has been particularly tough on lefties in recent years, holding them to a .212 batting average with 66 strikeouts in 207 plate appearances over the past two seasons. He's one of the few left-handed relievers still available on the open market.
