Roy Oswalt retires

Right-hander Roy Oswalt has decided to retire after a thirteen-year major league career, as first reported by ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Oswalt will switch over to the business side of baseball, and will begin working with his former agent, Bob Garber of RMG Sports.

Oswalt, 36, expressed interest in playing in 2014 early in the offseason, but ultimately decided that it would be best to call it a career. He appeared in nine major league games (making six starts) with the Rockies last season, posting an 0-6 record and 8.63 ERA in that short stint.

The three-time All-Star ends his career with a lifetime 163-102 record and 3.36 ERA in thirteen seasons with the Astros (2001-2010), Phillies (2010-2011), Rangers (2012) and Rockies (2013). He finished within the top five in NL Cy Young voting on five occasions between 2001 and 2006, with his best seasons coming in 2004 and 2005, when he won 20 games in each season.

Oswalt will retire along with longtime Astro Lance Berkman sometime in the near future, as both players plan to sign one-day contracts with Houston to make their retirements official. Both players were instrumental in the team's World Series run in 2005, when they lost to the White Sox in a four-game sweep.