Josh Hamilton

With the Texas Rangers in the midst of a heated battle for the AL West crown and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, this is the absolute worst time for injuries to pop up.

When Josh Hamilton and his heavy bat test the market this offseason, there will be one team willing and able to surprise baseball fans in signing Major League Baseball’s most coveted free agent.

Late Monday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers proved once again that they mean business.

Several months after signing star center fielder Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million contract extension, the Dodgers came to terms with right fielder Andre Ethier on a five-year extension worth $85 million.

The Texas Rangers have been known for quite some time as a team that usually wins with their bats. They are third in Major League Baseball since 2000 in runs scored and this is a team that has only been to the postseason twice since the turn of the millennium.

The Texas Rangers made an unsurprising yet intriguing move by signing free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt for the rest of the season.

Clearly the addition of Oswalt gives the Rangers the potential to be one of the best rotations in baseball for the rest of the season. 

But what exactly will Oswalt accomplish with the reigning two-time American League Champions?

Here are 10 predictions for Roy Oswalt as a Texas Ranger. 

That's gone by fast.

It seems as though just yesterday was the start of the 2012 MLB Season. Yet we find ourselves in the middle of May at the quarter-mark of the 162-game season wondering, "Where did all that time go?"

That's baseball for you, folks. The next quarter will fly by as quickly as the last, and soon enough, it will be September, in the heat of playoff races. And playoff time means time for awards. 

Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan does not expect a new contract for Josh Hamilton by the end of this season, according to ESPN.com.

Josh Hamilton is playing baseball like people used to play Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball on Nintendo 64. Hamilton is hitting .400 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI through 34 games this season.

No, you are not reading that wrong. Hamilton is throttling opposing pitchers on a nightly basis. He is focused, confident and extremely talented. Hamilton's mind-blowing pace has him chasing an honor only fourteen players in baseball history have ever grabbed: the Major League Triple Crown.

At 36 years of age, David Ortiz is having the type of season that rivals his 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons, at ages 29, 30 and 31 respectively.

In each of those seasons, Ortiz finished second, third and fourth in the American League MVP voting consecutively.

This season, he is absolutely raking for the Boston Red Sox. I must eat crow, I wanted him out of town during the winter and I was wrong.

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in Major League Baseball to hit four home runs in a single game on Tuesday night. The assault by Hamilton came against the Baltimore Orioles and was a majestic display of his power—similar to his performance in the Home Run Derby a couple seasons ago.