After a little over two seasons, Josh Hamilton is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
The team announced Monday that it has agreed to trade Hamilton to the Texas Rangers:
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal provided more details on the trade:
On Tuesday, Jon Morosi of CBS Sports broke down the financial details of the deal:
The Rangers posted the following on Twitter announcing the news:
Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto issued a statement, via Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com:
Gonzalez passed along comments from Hamilton during his press conference:
Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann first reported that Hamilton's time with the Angels was drawing to a close. Rosenthal added that a trade was in the works, with the Rangers as the potential suitor, per MLB.com's TR Sullivan and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
Grantland's Jonah Keri is already envisioning ways Hamilton can get revenge on Angels owner Arte Moreno:
According to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, Hamilton is nearing a return to the field:
The 33-year-old outfielder signed a five-year, $125 million deal with the Angels in 2012. Since then, he largely disappointed in Los Angeles, batting .255 with 31 home runs and 123 runs batted in in 240 games. He looked like a shadow of the player who captured the 2010 American League MVP Award with the Texas Rangers.
Hamilton's relationship with the Angels took a turn for the worse this past offseason, following a reported drug relapse.
An arbitrator ruled MLB couldn't punish Hamilton under the joint drug program it has with the MLB Players Association. The Angels' front office wasn't shy about voicing its displeasure with the decision.
"It defies logic that Josh's reported behavior is not a violation of his drug program," team president John Carpino said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
Moreno added that language in Hamilton's contract protected the team should the five-time All-Star relapse, a claim the players' union denied, per Rosenthal.
Angels starting pitcher C.J. Wilson came to his teammate's defense, per Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register:
After a while, it became clear Hamilton's partnership with the Angels had been irreparably damaged. It was only a matter of time before he was bought out, released outright or traded.
Hamilton played only 89 games last year and has missed the first part of the 2015 season while recovering from shoulder surgery he had in February. He's played in 140-plus regular-season games just three times in an eight-year career.
There's also his noticeable decline. Hamilton's batting average dropped three years in a row after the 2010 season, while his slugging percentage fell from .577 in 2012 to .432 in 2013. Add in the fact that he's owed another $60 million between 2016 and 2017, and few players have such a toxic combination of an unwieldy salary with dwindling on-field returns.
Perhaps a change of scenery is exactly what Hamilton needs, though, and the Rangers may be just the franchise to help him regain some of what made him one of the best hitters in the game. Hamilton's best years came in Texas, and he'll likely have the fanbase firmly behind him upon his return.
The Rangers have a lot of aging veterans on the squad, and their window for success is closing fast. Expecting to see Hamilton circa 2010 is unrealistic, but if he can produce something a little better than his 2013 numbers (.250 AVG, 21 HR, 79 RBI), Texas might have an offensive spark who can help the team move up the standings in a competitive American League West.
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