The Rangers could trade Scott Feldman and his $6.5 million salary in order to make room for Oswalt, who would cost virtually the exact same sum. However, Oswalt is likely to be significantly more effective than Feldman. ZiPS, a projection system created by Dan Szymborski, projects Oswalt to finish with a 3.68 ERA (108 ERA+), whereas Feldman performs almost a full run worse, at 4.68 (97 ERA+). In order to move Feldman, the Rangers might have to take on some salary, which is complicated by them being over budget, as mentioned above. Even worse, Oswalt’s agent Bob Garber (who also represented C.J. Wilson) has stated that Oswalt is not open to pitching out of the bullpen in any capacity whatsoever. Although replacing Feldman with Oswalt would in fact be beneficial to the Rangers, it could cost as much as $3 million, or roughly the price of signing Mike Gonzalez.

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Any left hander that the Rangers would move into the pen should not expect to see a great deal of time in action with the presumed bullpen featuring Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams and Joe Nathan. With the condition of the bullpen as it is now I would love to see the Rangers trade Koji Uehara for a utility infielder and two prospects and allow two left handers to move in the pen. Among those that should be looked at for inclusion should be a returning Mike Gonzalez, newly signed free agent Joe Beimel, Rangers prospect Michael Kirkman, and another Rangers prospect Robert Ross.

The Madson signing has some implications for the Prince Fielder negotiations. First, it signals that Boras is in fact willing to significantly lower his contract demands in the face of a complete absence of suitors. Whereas Boras started the offseason seeking a contract in the Pujols range of $250 million over 10 years, he could now be prepared to entertain lower offers, both in years and dollars. For example, insiders have speculated that Boras might be willing to negotiate an opt-out clause after 3 years into Fielder’s contract. Such a clause would allow Fielder to re-enter the market at age 30, presumably having maintained or exceeded his performance from the last few seasons. He might then be able to obtain a massive contract that would be comparable in value to the Pujols’ contract, especially if he is the only power-hitter on the market that offseason.

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