The Texas Rangers are close to reacquiring troubled former MVP outfielder Josh Hamilton from the Angels, per reports from T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com and Jeff Wilson of Fox Sports Southwest.
Josh Hamilton trade close between Angels, Rangers, per reports
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
It is unknown just what other players or how much money is involved in the deal, though Jeff Passan of Yahoo reported the Angels would be sending more than $65 million to Texas in the trade. Hamilton still has three years and $83 million remaining on his five-year, $125 million contract signed before the 2013 season.
The deal could happen as early as Monday, per Sullivan, though there are still several details still to be worked out, according to Passan, who called the trade “likely to happen.” Reports that the Angels were close to dealing Hamilton first came from Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated and confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
In two seasons with the Angels, the injury-prone outfielder has hit just .255/.316/.426 with 19 home runs, averaging just 120 games per year.
The Angels are expected to pick up a significant portion of Hamilton’s remaining salary, per Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
The Rangers got the best years of Hamilton, from 2008-2012, including his MVP year of 2010, when he hit .359/.411/.633 with 32 home runs and 40 doubles.
Hamilton, who turns 34 in May, has a long history of drug and alcohol addiction, and reported a relapse to the Angels during the offseason. However, an independent arbitrator found that Hamilton did not violate the terms of his treatment program through Major League Baseball, and he was not suspended.
“The Angels have serious concerns about Josh’s conduct, health and behavior, and we are disappointed that he has broken an important commitment which he made to himself, his family, his teammates and our fans,” Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement on April 3. “We are going to do everything possible to assure he receives proper help for himself and for the well-being of his family.”
The Angels not only disagreed with the lack of suspension for Hamilton, but owner Arte Moreno spoke recently of trying to void Hamilton’s contract.
Hamilton is currently rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, and was close to being sent to rehab in extended spring training in Arizona, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, though Hamilton reportedly wants to rehab closer to his home in Texas, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
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