The Red Sox pitching staff is still very much in transition and all winter long, fans have expected general manager Ben Cherington to make some sort of the splash in the rotation. But with pitchers and catchers set to report in a little over a week, there has yet to be any such addition.
The primary free-agent target for the Sox appeared to be Roy Oswalt, even seeing starting shortstop Marco Scutaro shipped out of town to clear cap space. Almost a full month later, Oswalt is still biding his time and welcoming suitors out on the open market.
It seems that cherington has done his due diligence on the 34-year-old right-hander, but other contributing factors are keeping Oswalt from signing with Boston.
According to The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, a major league source indicated that Oswalt priority was geographic, not financial and that Boston was not a primary destination.
Cafardo says of the potential signing, "the Red Sox are offering what Oswalt would accept, but he prefers a place like St. Louis or Texas over Boston."
While many continue to blame Cherington for the Sox lack of another front-line arm this offseason, it looks like the GM has done his job but Oswalt just isn't driven by the money.