MLB, Los Angeles Angels, Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Josh Hamilton, easily the biggest free agent bat on the market, has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Anaheim Angels worth approximately $125 million over 5 years.Hamilton is one of the best hitters in baseball, but there are a few injury and durability concerns, as well as some concerns about his history of substance addiction.
Last year, Hamilton hit .285 with 43 HR and 128 RBI. As good as those numbers were, they still represented a huge dip in batting average from his MVP season in 2010, when he hit at a .359 clip.
Also, his second half numbers were a significant dropoff from his incredible first half.
2012 first half: .308 average, 27 HR, 75 RBI, 1.016 OPS
2012 second half: .259 average, 16 HR, 53 RBI, .833 OPS
There's no question that Hamilton, when healthy, is one of the best players in the game. There's just no guarantee that he'll stay that way, which made most other teams shy away from offering him as many as 5 years. The Red Sox, for example, were very interested in Hamilton, but wouldn't offer more than 3 years.
We'll see if this gets finalized, and if it ends up being a smart move by the Angels.
12/13/12 |
gearhead
|
6361 respect
Yeah. It's not quite Dodgers level of revenue, but it's up there. Hey, that's the way it is. Revenues are going up, so salaries go up. That makes sense.
12/13/12 |
Scott
|
41577 respect
Moreno has a new $200 billion TV deal to spend. He'll try and buy as many titles as he can until he goes bankrupt
12/13/12 | Jeff_P | 19498 respect
5 years.........125 mil........ehhhhhhhhh........dont know about this one..........time will tell
12/13/12 |
Scott
|
41577 respect
Should've known that Artie Moreno wouldn't let the Dodgers new ownership one up him this offseason.
12/13/12 | ML31 | 3529 respect
Good for the Angels. I always hope that teams that spend like that always finish in last place.