Roy Oswalt

According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Roy Oswalt has told major league teams that he may wait until midseason to sign with a team.

That seems to be the direction he’s leaning in, especially with reports Thursday morning that he won’t be joining the Cardinals, Rangers or Red Sox. Oswalt failed to find a deal to his liking this winter, so he may go the route of hired gun for a contender in June or July. The 34-year-old right-hander is expected to make an official announcement Thursday regarding his future.

Roy Oswalt’s agent, Bob Garber, confirmed to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the veteran right-hander will make an announcement regarding his future Thursday.

It’s not clear what the nature of the announcement will be, but reports Thursday morning have seemingly ruled out the Cardinals, Rangers and Red Sox as potential landing spots. At least for now. Barring a surprise suitor, Oswalt could wait to join a playoff contender around midseason.

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak insisted that the veteran right-hander will not pitch for St. Louis.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that Oswalt won’t be joining the Rangers or Red Sox at this time, so unless there’s a “mystery team” in the mix, it’s increasingly likely that the 34-year-old may wait until midseason to latch on with a team. Oswalt is expected to make an announcement regarding his future Thursday.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that Roy Oswalt will not sign with either the Red Sox or Rangers.

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was told by a friend of Roy Oswalt that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the right-hander accepts the Cardinals’ terms.

Oswalt would prefer to pitch for the Cardinals or Rangers in order to be closer to his home in Mississippi and his Missouri farmland, but chances are he’ll have to settle for a little less than the one-year, $8-10 million deal he was reportedly looking for. The Red Sox remain a possibility, but he has previously turned down an offer from the club. It’s also possible that Oswalt could wait and return around midseason or just retire. We should have more clarity on the situation at some point Thursday.

According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, Roy Oswalt will make an announcement on Thursday.

The nature of the news isn’t yet clear. Edes hears that the Red Sox aren’t sure what he will do, though one source said they still have interest in him. Oswalt would reportedly prefer to pitch for the Cardinals or Rangers, but both teams already have full rotations and likely won’t give him the contract he desires. Stay tuned.

According to Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, free agent Roy Oswalt “could make a decision” on where he’ll play in 2012 on Thursday.

It’s difficult to predict where the right-hander is going to wind up. Oswalt expressed a desire to sign with either the Cardinals or Rangers earlier this offseason, but both teams have full rotations and no desire to spend big money on depth. The Red Sox are also known to have interest, but Oswalt turned them down.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that trading Koji Uehara to the Athletics could free up money for the Rangers to make a run at free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com speculated that the Rangers would go after left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez with the money saved by dealing Uehara, but Wilson is hearing otherwise. It’s well documented Oswalt would prefer to pitch for either the Rangers or the Cardinals in order to be closer to his home in Mississippi, but neither club looks like an easy fit. The Red Sox are also lingering in the background.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he hasn’t had any contact with Roy Oswalt’s agent over the past week.

Jocketty was pretty adamant last week that the Reds weren’t a player for Oswalt, so we’ll have to take him at his word for now. Interestingly, while ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported Friday that the Rangers were out of the mix, Jocketty seems to think otherwise. ???I think he??’s waiting for Texas to clear money,??? said Jocketty. The Cardinals and Red Sox remain in the mix for the veteran right-hander, but there’s no clear favorite at the moment.