Oh my! There is so much buzz around this situation on so many levels, and everyone out there has an opinion, observation, criticisms, and much more. Trying to weed through this minefield of opinions is difficult at best. For those that have not followed the situation let’s start at the beginning.
Josh Hamilton became a free agent after the 2012 season with the Rangers. He signed with the Anaheim Angels for a 5-year $125 million contract, and his wife made some comments about dating other people and falling in love or something like that in reference to the Angels. Then Hamilton made a comment about Arlington not being a baseball town in reference to Texas being a football state. The fans booed mightily on his return in another uniform. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s on field performance declined, he became injured, which if you followed his career at all you know he is fragile. Then during the off-season this year, he admittedly fell off his sobriety wagon, reported it, and did not suffer any suspension from the league. He also had shoulder surgery in the off-season and was not really a part of training camp. Angles ownership became disenchanted, and Art Moreno began talking about Hamilton violating his contract and not wanting to pay him the $83 million left on the deal. Josh also filed for divorce from his wife, and put one of their multimillion-dollar homes up for sale, the one worth $16 million with the 8-car garage. The divorce paperwork looks like something from a Kardashian, so perhaps a little Hollywood rubbed off on them while they were in California. Meanwhile, there have been all sorts of rumors about how the Angels wanted him gone, and how Hamilton wanted to return to Texas where he performed his best during his career.
That is the short version of this story so far. Then came the news that the Rangers and Angels are in fact giving Hamilton what he wants and his return to Texas. However, the MLB Players Union got involved because they are concerned about Josh and of course the contract. The League itself became involved for much the same reasons.
The trade itself is just weird: The Angels eat about $62 million of his contract, Hamilton gives up about $6 million, which is equal to the California taxes he would have paid anyway, and the Rangers get Hamilton for $6-$7 million for the next three years total. That means the Rangers are only on the hook for about $2 million a year. The Rangers either give up the “infamous” player to be named or cash to complete the deal. The Angels get to walk away, Hamilton gets what he wants, and the Rangers get Hamilton back.
This is the strangest thing I have ever heard of in the history of baseball. However, most writers I have read believe this is a winning situation from all parties, including the MLPA, League, Angels, Rangers, Agents, and ultimately what is best for Josh Hamilton.
From a Rangers point of view this is potentially a huge benefit because the team is in last place and the current outfield lead by another hundred million dollar man Sin Soo Choo, is probably one of the worst in baseball. Left and Right field both are complete disaster zones. The Rangers at this point in the season are frankly hard to watch, attendance is falling at the ballpark, and there are many writers ranking this team as the worst in baseball, and it is hard to argue that point. The team is worst in hitting, worst in fielding, and worst in pitching in all of baseball and in last place in the AL West. The team needs a lift and they need someone who can hit more than they weigh, and they need someone who can at least hit a deep fly ball for a sacrifice with a runner on third. The Rangers have stranded more base-runners than any other team. The bottom line is that this Rangers team needs even a broken Josh Hamilton, the guy who last year only hit .263, with 10 HR’s, and drove in only 44 runs. That guy is an improvement over what the team is fielding today.
There is a lot of speculation as to which Josh Hamilton will show up to play. Will it be the guy who drops fly balls, only saw 8 pitches in 4 at bats in a playoff game, or will it be the 2010 version of Hamilton that was league MVP is all open to speculation. Clearly, Hamilton has demons, he has an addictive personality, and this is not the same Ranger clubhouse he knew when he left. One writer quoted both Thomas Wolfe, “You can’t go home again”, and George Webber, “You can’t go back to your childhood”. There are examples of past players returning home to finish out their careers, and names like Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Roger Clemens, Gary Carter, and Bert Blyleven all come to mind. Yet this situation is different, because age wise Josh Hamilton should still have tread left on his tires.
Personally, I have always liked Hamilton, but never really trusted him. I always saw him as a head case that could blow up at any time, the “Tin Cup” of Major League Baseball. History has shown that he is completely unpredictable, but the fact is Hamilton has amazing talent, he is a true five-tool player, and when his head is right he can be the best player in all of major league baseball. When it is not right, he is a danger to himself and others on and off the field. Self-destructive personalities are just that way; they run hot and cold, can be awesome or terrible.
The Rangers will send Hamilton to Arizona to rehab the shoulder, they are putting together a program to help him stay clean and sober, and they are going to do their best to help hold him accountable. Of course his former accountability partner was his father-in-law, and I wonder who they will get as that relationship may be strained due to the pending divorce. The hope is that after extended spring training he can be sent to AAA to get his timing back and brought up sometime in May. They have no clue what they are getting, but for no more money than they are spending it is a low investment for the team with potentially a very high reward. This team needs Josh Hamilton that is right, heck they would be happy with a 75% right Josh Hamilton. The only downside for the team is the loss of $7 million dollars. The team has many more dollars than that on the disabled list right now, and Sin Soo Choo and his .063 batting average is killing the entire franchise.
There will be those who blast the Angels if this works out in Texas for Hamilton. Yet, sometimes a player just has to have a change in scenery to blossom. Hamilton has burned his bridges with the Angels, and I can guarantee you that the fans out there are just angry at the entire situation. We are going to find out soon what he has left in his tank, and if he can do something in Texas. For those that understand addictions and second or third chances this is a great story to follow. For those that think that baseball players earn too much money, and that leads to self-destructive behavior, and all that is wrong in the world you are not ever going to be happy. Then there are those that are going to pound the Rangers for being like the Dallas Cowboys, who have signed players that have questionable legal history. Speaking of the Cowboys I would imagine nobody is more upset about this than Jerry Jones, for stealing a headline away from the Cowboys the week of the NFL draft.
When discussing criminal history, and sports figures the two seem to go hand in hand these days. When you hear of Ray Rice or Greg Hardy who beat up wives and girlfriends, then consider a fighter like Mayfield who beats women, and people seem to have no problem with his earning $150 million for a single fight, the Hamilton situation is not in the same ballpark. Everyone wants to make comparisons, the fact is that it is all horrible, but this is different to me, because as I said when he is right he is great on and off the field.
The Hamilton story is one of self-abuse with drugs/alcohol, it is about addiction, and it is about finding a way to beat back internal demons. After all, I doubt any other player in sports carries around the baggage of tossing a ball to a fan, only to see them die by falling over a railing. In this case, Josh deserves another shot, but he needs to earn back the respect of the fans, the trust of management, and find a way to dig deep to make things right. He also needs to somehow lay off any off-speed pitch that is within 6-feet of the plate. He is coming home, he will have his chance, and it is completely up to him to make it or get out of baseball entirely. I would suggest saying a prayer for Josh Hamilton the man, regardless of what happens on the field, because right now he is a train wreck, but that train has a lot of potential still left if he can just get back on the track.
John Daniels best move as a GM was to not sign Josh to a long-term contract, making this deal for practically no money, in baseball terms, is brilliant. Being a Ranger fan and a Hamilton fan, I just hope he can play again, and whatever the case I pray the man can beat his addictions.
That’s my take, so let the arguments begin!