We acquired Josh Hamilton in 2008 from Cincinnati. He was originally a number 1 over all draft pick in 1999, and became a drug addict after an injury in the minor leagues. We took a chance on him after he became sober, and what a great chance that turned out to be. The Rangers are all about chances right.
He has a great arm playing center field, a great bat, and he plays the game hard. He was even the AL MVP in 2010. He's fun to watch, and the fans love him. However, he's injury prone. In his four years, he's only played enough games to count as a full season once. He's running into walls, sliding into bases, doing whatever to hurt something quite often. Definitely frustrating since he's a big part of our team.
His contract has however run out, and we have been trying to make a long term offer with him before Spring Training starts to avoid him becoming a free agent next year. If he becomes a free agent he would be one of the biggest free agents on the market if not the biggest for 2012. The two have been trying to come to a deal for about a month now, so what's the problem.
There are several things that go into play when thinking about making a deal with Hamilton. First Hamilton has stated that he owes it to the players union to get the money he deserves for his talent. He believes that if he settles for what the Rangers are willing to pay him, then it will give way to giving proven players what they deserve in the game. He is asking for a contract in the range of about 6 years $120 million dollars. I believe....the Rangers are crazy to do that.
First for as good as he is, he has never been injury free for a sustained period of time. Some believe this is due to the addiction problems earlier in his career, and his body is slightly broken down as a result. He also plays the game hard. Exciting to watch, but he not when he gets injured and is out for months at a time. The addiction is a concern as he gets older. He is hitting 31 this year, so he is at his peak or later by now. If you look at the link below it shows his projections over the next couple of years. I think that 2010 (the year he was MVP) was a fluke year, and what he did in 2011, which is still good, is more of the player he is. I also think he will be a player that can contribute to any club for about three years, and after that his numbers will slowly decline. Therefore, in my opinion, the Rangers are crazy to give him 6 years. Is he worth the money...maybe, but definitely not the years.
Why 2012 should be Hamilton's last with the Rangers by Adam Morris
Out last night, Hamilton relapsed on Alcohol at Sherlock's on Monday. This may or may not be a one time incident, but it certainly says a lot about his character, and certainly hurts his chances at the money he thinks he deserves. Can one say, that if he was willing to take a chance and relapse that one night, that at any point in years to come it couldn't happen again, for a longer period, and even affect his playing? He was actually suspended from MLB in 2003 for his addiction problems. The Rangers are dealing with the unknown right now.
What do the Rangers do? Try to get a contract done with an essential part of this team sometime over the next month, or let him go into free agency and see what happens? In my opinion I'd give him a 3 year extension at about 45 million. If he were smart he'd go with a team that believes in him, even if it's for less than what he wants.
Feel free to weigh in.
He has a great arm playing center field, a great bat, and he plays the game hard. He was even the AL MVP in 2010. He's fun to watch, and the fans love him. However, he's injury prone. In his four years, he's only played enough games to count as a full season once. He's running into walls, sliding into bases, doing whatever to hurt something quite often. Definitely frustrating since he's a big part of our team.
His contract has however run out, and we have been trying to make a long term offer with him before Spring Training starts to avoid him becoming a free agent next year. If he becomes a free agent he would be one of the biggest free agents on the market if not the biggest for 2012. The two have been trying to come to a deal for about a month now, so what's the problem.
There are several things that go into play when thinking about making a deal with Hamilton. First Hamilton has stated that he owes it to the players union to get the money he deserves for his talent. He believes that if he settles for what the Rangers are willing to pay him, then it will give way to giving proven players what they deserve in the game. He is asking for a contract in the range of about 6 years $120 million dollars. I believe....the Rangers are crazy to do that.
First for as good as he is, he has never been injury free for a sustained period of time. Some believe this is due to the addiction problems earlier in his career, and his body is slightly broken down as a result. He also plays the game hard. Exciting to watch, but he not when he gets injured and is out for months at a time. The addiction is a concern as he gets older. He is hitting 31 this year, so he is at his peak or later by now. If you look at the link below it shows his projections over the next couple of years. I think that 2010 (the year he was MVP) was a fluke year, and what he did in 2011, which is still good, is more of the player he is. I also think he will be a player that can contribute to any club for about three years, and after that his numbers will slowly decline. Therefore, in my opinion, the Rangers are crazy to give him 6 years. Is he worth the money...maybe, but definitely not the years.
Why 2012 should be Hamilton's last with the Rangers by Adam Morris
Out last night, Hamilton relapsed on Alcohol at Sherlock's on Monday. This may or may not be a one time incident, but it certainly says a lot about his character, and certainly hurts his chances at the money he thinks he deserves. Can one say, that if he was willing to take a chance and relapse that one night, that at any point in years to come it couldn't happen again, for a longer period, and even affect his playing? He was actually suspended from MLB in 2003 for his addiction problems. The Rangers are dealing with the unknown right now.
What do the Rangers do? Try to get a contract done with an essential part of this team sometime over the next month, or let him go into free agency and see what happens? In my opinion I'd give him a 3 year extension at about 45 million. If he were smart he'd go with a team that believes in him, even if it's for less than what he wants.
Feel free to weigh in.
1 comment:
Nick Barr I'd say there is no chance Josh would take that deal. Not with the kinds of deals Werth and Crawford were given. 5years 88MM is the max I would offer, just based on our lack of OF depth in the minors. When healthy Josh is a top 5 player in baseball, those kind of players get paid. Not sure if he would take it, I'm sure there is some team willing to take a chance to catch lightning in a bottle and give him 125MM.
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