Red Sox: Signing Saltalamacchia; Talking with Oswalt; Moving Payroll?

The Boston Red Sox avoid arbitration with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and have signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million deal, according to Scott Lauber, and Over the Monster shows that his 2011 season may not be a fluke and his power might indeed be for real.

The other big Red Sox rumor right now is their continuing look at Roy Oswalt, which Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports says is part of their need to "face reality." However, WEEI is reporting the club would need to move payroll to sign Oswalt:

• Twitter / @ScottLauber - "Jarrod Saltalamacchia will made $2.5 million this year, according to major league source"
• Boston’s Best Tools 2012: Best Power - Over the Monster
  "No player represents the value in looking through the data better than Jarrod Saltalmacchia. I doubt anyone here would go so far as to say that Salty has the Best Power on the 2012 Red Sox team, but it is incredible how well he stacks up by this methodology. Last season, Salty had a higher ISO than Gonzalez and Youkilis and his average home run distance was second only to David Ortiz. Salty may have a long way to go before he is a complete hitter but his 2011 power is probably not a fluke."

• Red Sox would have to move payroll in order to sign Roy Oswalt - WEEI
  "According to a major league source, even though Oswalt’s asking price on a one-year deal figures to be lower that the $10 million given to Hiroki Kuroda by the Yankees, the Red Sox are taking the same stance with Oswalt as they did with Kuroda — in order to sign the pitcher at his current asking price a corresponding roster move would have to made in order to free up payroll."
• Twitter / @jonmorosi - "RedSox are maintaining active dialogue with free agent Roy Oswalt, sources said Sunday."
• Red Sox need to face reality, fix rotation - Jon Paul Morosi | FOX Sports
  "The Red Sox have maintained dialogue with Oswalt’s representatives in recent days, major league sources said Sunday. Oswalt, the favorite son of Weir, Miss., realized that East Coast baseball suited him quite well during a season and a half in Philadelphia. He is famously low-maintenance and would be able to handle the pressure of working at Fenway Park."

• Red Sox Nation Reacts to New York Yankees' Blockbuster Deal - MLB Daily Dish