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Josh Hamilton

Angels Notes: Hamilton, Trumbo, Bourjos

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A look at the Angels as they introduce Josh Hamilton..

  • The Angels are telling people that they're not trading Mark Trumbo, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).  That could change with the right offer, but it's clear that they would prefer to move Peter Bourjos.
  • The Rangers didn't woo Hamilton hard enough, according to his wife Katie, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram.  The slugger agreed and said that he would be lying if he said the perceived slight didn't bother him.
  • The Angels' signing of Hamilton was a shocker but was also premeditated in many ways, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  A source says that the Halos already looked into it during the Winter Meetings despite owner Arte Moreno's preference to have a $145MM payroll next year.  However, the club left flexibility for just one player, and that was Hamilton.
  • Hamilton said that talks didn't get serious with the Angels until the day he signed, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

Heyman On Hamilton, Sanchez, Tigers

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links)…

Olney On Hamilton, Tigers, Angels, Bauer

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Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and the 2013 Angels will all benefit from Josh Hamilton's recent agreement with Los Angeles, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes. However, Mike Scioscia, Torii Hunter and the Mariners probably won’t benefit from the deal, according to Olney. Here are some more reactions to the deal, and a look at the impact it will have. Now for some more of Olney’s notes from around MLB…

  • The Hamilton deal was made over the head of the Angels' baseball operations department, Olney reports (on Twitter).
  • Rival general managers had correctly predicted Anibal Sanchez would sign with the Tigers, Olney writes. The Tigers have made it known for weeks that they'd be willing to listen to offers for Rick Porcello, according to Olney. It now seems as though Porcello has become a trade candidate.
  • Peter Bourjos drew lots of trade interest in the first few weeks of the offseason, Olney reports. While Bourjos could be moved, the Angels have told teams they're keeping Mark Trumbo.
  • The Diamondbacks had talked to other teams about deals involving Trevor Bauer before this year's trade deadline, Olney reports.

Los Angeles Notes: Hamilton, Managers, Niese

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The Dodgers have dominated the headlines in Hollywood for most of the winter but the Angels stole the spotlight today by reaching agreement with Josh Hamilton on a five-year, $125MM contract.  Here are a few items about both Los Angeles franchises…

  • Hamilton's agents approached the Dodgers and the team did background work on the outfielder, but the Dodgers never seriously considered signing him, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  The Dodgers simply didn't have room in the outfield with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford all locked up to major long-term contracts.
  • Don Mattingly and Mike Scioscia will both be under tremendous pressure to manage their respective teams to postseason success in 2013, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Scioscia is under contract through 2018 but the Angels haven't made the postseason in three years and the skipper seemed to be on the hot seat last year during the team's slow start.  As for Mattingly, he is entering the final year of his three-year contract.  Hernandez also addresses a number of other questions about both teams as part of his Q&A piece, including if the Angels signed Hamilton as a response to the Dodgers' high-profile moves.
  • The Angels are interested in Jonathon Niese and share an interest in R.A. Dickey with the Rangers, reports Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com.  Cerrone believes the Blue Jays also have their eye on both Mets pitchers, with Niese as their first choice.
  • There are still some outstanding questions about the Dodgers' financial situation and the status of their rumored multi-billion dollar TV deal with FOX, writes ESPN's Darren Rovell.
  • Earlier today we explored the reaction to the Hamilton signing and its impact around the league.

Reactions To The Josh Hamilton Signing

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We've already looked at how the Angels' five-year, $125MM agreement with Josh Hamilton has impacted players and teams around baseball, but now let's look at some analysis of the signing itself, including items about how the deal came together for the Angels and how the Rangers missed out on re-signing their slugger…

  • An American League executive called the move "last-second knee-jerk stupidity" on the part of the Angels, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter links). However, an NL executive called it a "brilliant move" since the Angels obtained the best player available and added balance to a largely right-handed lineup.
  • Former Angels outfielder Torii Hunter had some sharp words regarding his free agent talks with the Angels and owner Arte Moreno (Twitter links). “I was told money was tight but I guess the Arte had money hidden under a Mattress,” Hunter wrote. “Business is business but don't lie.” Hunter clarified in a follow-up tweet that he’s “not upset.”
  • One American League executive told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Rangers made the "fatal mistake" of believing no team would go beyond four years for Hamilton.  Also from Stark, Moreno's tactic of making take it-or-leave it offers prevented Hamilton from going back to the Rangers to give them a chance to top Anaheim's offer (Twitter links)
  • Though Rangers GM Jon Daniels will face public criticism for letting Hamilton get away to a division rival, Daniels is being "privately lauded" by other general managers for parting ways with Hamilton, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. 
  • Also from Olney (Twitter link), "Hamilton's medical records have been a concern for other teams."
  • Yahoo Sports' Kevin Kaduk runs down the winners and losers of the Hamilton signing.
  • The signing looks like "an impulse buy" for Moreno and the Halos, as the team reportedly didn't even discuss signing Hamilton during the Winter Meetings, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal's colleague Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Angels did meet with Hamilton during the Winter Meetings, though it was kept quiet enough that some within the organization didn't even know the meeting took place (Twitter links).
  • The Angels know they'll have to trade from their position player depth, but aren't close to any deals yet, Yahoo's Tim Brown reports (on Twitter).
  • The Rangers are "really shaken" by losing Hamilton, especially after being unable to sign Zack Greinke or work out trades for Justin Upton or James Shields, writes CBS Sports' Danny Knobler (via Twitter).  "Fair to say they don't love any [other] options out there," Knobler adds.
  • The Hamilton signing elevates the Angels/Rangers rivalry to an even higher level, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
  • My take: I'm not crazy about the signing since the Angels' lineup (and particularly their outfield) wasn't an area of concern, and $125MM is a lot of money to commit to a player with as many red flags as Hamilton.  That said, I can understand why they made the move.  Money seems to be no object to the Angels, so if they can win a World Series over the next few seasons, the team won't care if Hamilton (or Albert Pujols, for that matter) is a payroll albatross by 2016-17.  It also doesn't hurt that the Angels dealt a serious blow to a division rival by keeping Hamilton away from the Rangers.  I'd suggest that the Angels hang onto their outfield depth until at least the trade deadline — given Hamilton and Kendrys Morales' injury histories, it makes sense to have a capable outfielder like Peter Bourjos, who brings much more off the bench than Vernon Wells.  

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post

Fallout And Impact Of The Josh Hamilton Signing

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Here's the latest on how Josh Hamilton's agreement with the Angels will affect several other players and teams all around the league, including how close some other teams came to signing the free agent slugger themselves…

  • The Rangers have told Geovany Soto he'll be their everyday catcher in 2013, but ESPN's Buster Olney wonders if the Rangers could now pursue free agent backstop A.J. Pierzynski.  Also from Olney, rival evaluators are speculating that the Rangers might now be the best fit for Nick Swisher (both links are to Olney's Twitter account).
  • The Mariners "badly wanted" Hamilton, which means the Angels disappointed two of their AL West rivals today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).  MLB.com's Greg Johns hears that the M's were heavily courting Hamilton and "had strong hopes" he would sign with them.
  • The Red Sox had interest in Hamilton but weren't willing to offer a contract longer than three years, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
  • The Phillies were similarly not interested in Hamilton at such a high price, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Hamilton's signing could increase interest in other free agent outfielders like Swisher and Cody Ross, thus possibly pricing the Phillies out of the market and forcing them to turn their attention to acquiring pitching instead.
  • The Marlins could reverse their stance on trading Giancarlo Stanton, opines MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, if the Rangers are desperate to add another big bat and were willing to offer Jurickson Profar or Mike Olt in a deal.  Frisaro also thinks Miami could be a trade match with the Angels as Peter Bourjos "has been on the Marlins' radar for a while."
  • Fangraphs' Dave Cameron breaks down the value of Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales and Bourjos both to the Angels and on the trade market.
  • Bourjos, for his part, tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that he wants to remain in Anaheim and enjoys being an Angel, though he also wants to be an everyday player.
  • ESPN's Keith Law doesn't see Hamilton providing much value in the last two years of his contract, though his signing "makes more sense" if the Angels trade some roster depth to fill the holes in their rotation.  Law also notes that Michael Bourn appears to be running out of suitors, and speculates that Bourn could look for a one-year deal now and then look for a big multiyear contract next winter.
  • Early today, we looked at rumors concerning the possibility of the Angels and Mets working out a trade involving R.A. Dickey.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

Josh Hamilton Rumors: Thursday

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Yesterday Texas GM Jon Daniels said the Rangers remain interested in Josh Hamilton. "We want Josh back and always have," Daniels said. They're not the only team eyeing the free agent outfielder. Here's the latest, the the most recent items up top…

  • The Mariners are among the other teams showing interest in Hamilton, and they appear to be willing to offer a deal of four years or more, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. However, they’re still viewed as an outsider by rival executives. It’s not clear if the Mariners have made Hamilton an official offer.
  • Rival officials suggest to Heyman that the chances of Hamilton re-signing with the Rangers appear to have increased in recent days. Meanwhile, there’s little evidence that the Brewers and Red Sox have seriously pursued Hamilton recently.

Angels, Josh Hamilton Nearing Deal

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1:21pm: The sides are nearing a five-year deal, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). People connected to the team seem confident a deal will get done, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

12:59pm: The Angels are getting close to a deal with Josh Hamilton, Yahoo's Tim Brown reports (on Twitter). The deal with the Moye Sports Associates client is not quite done, Brown adds. Joe McDonnell of FoxSportsWest.com first reported that the Angels were involved in serious talks with Hamilton (Twitter link).

This would mark the second time in as many winters that Angels owner Arte Moreno and general manager Jerry Dipoto have signed an elite free agent unexpectedly. The Angels signed Albert Pujols to a ten-year deal at last year's Winter Meetings to the surprise of many.

If the Angels complete a deal with Hamilton, he'd join a lineup that already includes Pujols and Mike Trout. An agreement could put Peter Bourjos and/or Mark Trumbo on the trade block, however.

Hamilton received and turned down a qualifying offer from the Rangers, which means he'll be linked to draft pick compensation. The Rangers would obtain a compensatory selection for losing Hamilton, and the Angels would have to surrender their top 2013 pick (#22 overall) to complete a deal.

This post was first published on December 13th, 2012.

Josh Hamilton Rumors: Wednesday

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Josh Hamilton, the top free agent position player of the offseason, remains unsigned. The Rangers and Phillies seem like logical fits for Hamilton, who has also drawn significant interest from the Mariners. Here’s the latest, with the most recent rumors up top…

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said today that his feelings regarding Hamilton haven't changed since day one, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. "We want Josh back and always have," Daniels said. "It has nothing to do with who is still on the market and who is off the market. We've maintained communication and the relationship is good. We'd still like to work something out but I can't handicap it."
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears from a Phillies source who would be "shocked" if Hamilton signs in Philadelphia (Twitter link).
  • However, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported this morning that Phillies officials have privately maintained that they’d be prepared to offer Hamilton a three-year deal.

Free Agent Rumors: Hamilton, LaRoche, Rolen

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MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker allows you to review the offseason's new contracts and navigate all remaining free agents. Here are the latest rumors on a handful of free agent position players…

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