Sunday Reading: Rowland-Smith, Oxspring deals; Trent Oeltjen, Liam Hendriks, Grant Balfour news

There was plenty of news coming out of the US this week regarding Aussie baseballers. Both Ryan Rowland-Smith and Chris Oxspring secured contracts, Trent Oeltjen signed again with the Dodgers, and Grant Balfour remains without a club. Here is a round-up of some of the reports:

• After parting ways with the Seattle Mariners, Ryan-Rowland Smith has signed a one-year, $725,000 deal with the Houston Astros. This generated a little media interest in Australia, including this article from Fox Sports. They must have trawled deep in the archives for that photo.
• It looks like Rowland-Smith will be vying for the 5th position in the Astros' rotation. Houston has a strong first three: Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez and recently-signed Brett Myers. There are a few young guys battling it out for the 4th and 5th spot. For more info, check out Astros County.
• Some Astros fans are feeling cyncial about the acquisition, checkout Crawfish Boxes to see their views.
• Chris Oxspring has signed with the Detroit Tigers, with a minor league contract but with an invite to Spring Training. This story was picked up by SBS, as well as NineMSN. Oxspring was quoted as saying "I go over with a Major League invite so I will be at spring training with the Major League team and if I throw the ball well enough then I will stay longer and they will take a longer look...If I don't then I will start in Triple A (minor leagues) and give it all I've got".
• Like Oxspring, Trent Oeltjen has signed a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training with the Dodgers.
• In some other news this week, Perth Heat pitcher, Liam Hendriks has been getting some attention as one of the Minnesota Twins top pitching prospects. Baseball America has rated Hendriks as having the 'Best Control' in the Twins' minor league system, and has predicted that he will crack the Twins' big league squad in 2014 as their third starting pitcher [I don't quite know how they can be so precise about their predictions, but there you go]. Twins Blog Twinkie Town has named Hendriks as the Twins' number two prospect.
• Grant Balfour has not yet signed a contract, following his decision to decline arbitration at the Rays. So far it seems the Orioles are the best chance of picking him up, or he could well end up staying in Tampa. While you wait to hear more, check out this interview courtesy of ESPN back in early 2010: