Rangers president Nolan Ryan spoke to reporters (including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan) today, saying that he expects Josh Hamilton to test free agency after the season. Ryan said the team will “put their best foot forward” during contract talks, but he expects the situation to drag out until “either at the end of November or December.”
Hamilton, 30, currently leads the American League in batting average (.399), OBP (.452), SLG (.826), homers (18), and RBI (45). Contract talks between the two sides were a hot topic following the outfielder's four-homer game last month, but Hamilton said he would not negotiate during the season this past winter.
It expected. Hamilton knows there’s gonna be a team out there dumb enough to give him a Pujols contract. Sure it might look good the first year or two, but who knows after that? Just like the Pujols deal.
Unless Pujols goes on a SERIOUS tear (which he’s very much capable of), the first year of the Albertross might not look too good, anyway.
Can’t blame him,though I’d love to see him stay with Texas
I guess it’s goodbye Hamilton. It was great while it lasted…
Don’t see Hamilton leaving; remember that Michael Young’s contract is up after next year. If Hamilton can get creative about 2013, the Rangers can afford him without approaching the luxury-tax threshold.
Yea, it’s not like we don’t have the money. There’s a lot of money left. I really don’t have a gut feeling about this. I can’t tell what he;s going to do.
I think the Rangers go after Napoli instead of Hamilton, they don’t have the financial flexibility to sign both.
Theo and Jed have a bunch of Ricketts money to spend.
Redsox are good at throwing money out there as of late and get nothing out of it. examples: Lackey,DiceK,Crawford. they should have just kept Josh Reddick and left bard as the closer. Reddick is having a good year so far.
3 years 90 million Dodgers
gonna take more then 3 yrs 90 million. guarentee the rangers offer him atleast 5 for 120 million. their going to make it difficult for other teams to get him. with the yankees and sox looking to get under the luxury tax line by 2014 you can count them out (as a yankee fan thank god) Dodgers are favored to get him though. only reason i wouldnt mind seeing them get him is because of ol’ donnie baseball don mattingly. one of the best 1st basemen to wear a yankee uniform.
if 3/90 would sign him, texas would have done that deal already.
double it and you have a deal. Actually..you still might not.
I’m pretty sure 6/180 would do it.
Even if Hamilton does test free agency, I think that he re-signs with the Rangers…reason being: Texas has no state income tax. When Beltran signed his big 7-year contract with the Mets before the 2005 season, it took a no-trade clause addition to entice Beltran to leave the Astros’ offer (the offer was for $11M less in total dollars, but the real money would have been about the same).
Also, another reason why I think Hamilton re-ups with Texas: they have an environment and structure in which he can thrive.
A third reason: Michael Young’s contract is up after next season, and so the Rangers can easily afford Hamilton if his side will be a bit creative with respect to 2013.
So goodbye Napoli?
If Napoli is looking at Molina type money, man I SAS wouldn’t do that.
I hope the Rangers get their priorities straight before they see themselves paying Napoli & Cruz 25m combined with no Hamilton. He’s the real star, the guy you spend big on. To heck with Napoli. Give him 5/75m and I’d say the team is happy with that deal at its conclusion (or 3 years into it) only about 20% of the time. I’d take the pick & a higher draft bonus allowance for him. Even at Victor Martinez money, he’s not that much more attractive.
When A-Rod played in Texas he still paid $500,000 or so a year in state income taxes outside of his state (see: Jock Tax) So really, the 81 home games he doesn’t get taxed on in Texas (plus additional 9ish games in Houston next year for away games) could *most likely* be offset over a 5-6 year deal with as you point out an extra million or so a year. He will push for a no-trade clause, but Texas will still need to make a very competitive deal and if someone is offering a no-trade then they will have to offer that as well.
Paying less than a million bucks more a year in taxes is more than worth it to know you aren’t going to be sent where you don’t want to go, or at least it is to a guy who is looking at a 9 figure salary who will have made $25 million at the end of this year. The same logic was said about Cliff Lee over and over a couple years ago…Texas has no income tax so it was a foregone conclusion he would go there over the Yankees or Phillies.
Or going to a place like California where taxes are already leading the nation and the answer to every blunder they make is to raise them further. I have wondered for years why players mistakenly choose to go there and fork over $$$ to a corrupt government in that state at every level from cities upward and keep feeding them cash they keep spending on nonsense.
In the Cliff Lee situation, there was another factor in play: He did not want to pitch in the brutal Texas heat, nor did he ever want to leave Philly in the first place.
The same thing came into play for C.J. Wilson…wanting to pitch closer to home. In the case of Josh Hamilton, however, he needs a structured environment.
Even if Hamilton does test free agency, I think that he re-signs with the Rangers…reason being: Texas has no state income tax. When Beltran signed his big 7-year contract with the Mets before the 2005 season, it took a no-trade clause addition to entice Beltran to leave the Astros’ offer (the offer was for $11M less in total dollars, but the real money would have been about the same).
Also, another reason why I think Hamilton re-ups with Texas: they have an environment and structure in which he can thrive.
how about the brewers? they have the cap space ( about 40 mil for 4 roster spots) and the brewers have the pitching prospects ready to make the next step. as a brewers fan im hoping we trade grenkie marcum and k rod for prospects ws2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just don’t see him leaving. I smell a hometown discount in the no-so-distant future.
He will wait for an Owner to step in and give him a Pujols, Fielder contract. Those contracts are too expensive. They will underperform at the end of the contract. He said that will not give the Rangers a discount. I am not sure the Rangers would take that big a gamble.