Money Not Well Spent

Josh Hamilton might be the hottest commodity this offseason. The 31 year old outfielder is a free agent after spending 5 years with the Texas Rangers. Not only has he been an All-Star caliber player but he has been a headline waiting to happen it seems as well. Hamilton is no stranger to the tabloids; he has had his history with drug use and alcoholism that nearly took away his big league dreams. He has had a few slip ups over the years but he in the eyes of almost everyone he is making a true and hard effort toward the goal of staying sober. No doubt his off the field issues have to be brought up when regarding his on the field worth. As for on the field though he has been a MVP type player, he won the award in 2010 and has since put up great numbers making him arguably the hottest free agent on the market. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Hamilton though; he can’t manage to stay healthy. In 2007 he spent some time on the disabled list with gastroenteritis and then again in 2009 with abdominal strains and a bruised rib cage. Most recently and most notably he was hurt on a play at the plate in Detroit in 2011 where the third base coach sent him home where there seemed to be no chance, he broke his humerus and missed a significant amount of time. He played 148 games out of 182 in 2012, 121 in 2011, 133 in 2010 and only 89 in 2009. Despite all the time off and all the injuries he has still managed to put up astonishing numbers and be one of the best players in baseball. The only question this offseason is, is he worth all the risk and all the money he is going to be asking for? I say that he is not worth the price tag, for multiple reasons. He has been a prolific hitter his last 3 seasons. Hitting at the lowest .285, which is very respectable considering he hits with so much power. One reason that some concern should be raised is that he had a strikeout spike of 8% this past season compared to previous seasons, and if you watched him at all this last year you could see he went through stretches where he was in real trouble at the plate, often times letting go of this bat and letting it fly through the air and sometimes even into the stands. Not only did he strikeout more this last year, some concerns about his fielding were raised after he seemed to slow in the outfield. This could have something to with his age, which is not very old but due to his past with injuries and his drug use could make his body older than it really is. Late this last season with the playoffs on the line against the Oakland Athletics there was a play in centerfield hit to Hamilton and it was routine, the basic of all basic pop-ups. He dropped the ball while cruising in under it nonchalantly; the Rangers ended up losing the game and did not make the playoffs after they were in most people’s eyes, the favorites to win it all. Next is the prime reason of all to not sign the slugger from Texas, the money. It has been reported that he wants somewhere around 7 years for 175 million dollars, which would make it about 25 million a year. According to Jim Bowden of ESPN he is looking for a more realistic 5 years for 115 million, which would make it 23 million a year. He seems to think that Hamilton will stay in Texas in a 4 year deal, money terms not specified. This is where I say he is not worth the kind of money that he wants. He is no doubt a remarkable player and will give you MVP type production for 2 or 3 years barring any injuries, but after that you have to think it would be a complete gamble. To me that is way too much money gamble with, and you have examples to look at. Granted it is not the same exact situation but look at the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez, they signed him to a huge long term deal and now they are paying him for the player he was, not for the player he is.  For the right price and amount of years, of course, snatch him up but if it’s for anything over 4 years I would take a pass. The front runners for Hamilton are the Red Sox and the Rangers, Red Sox looking for a 3 year deal reportedly and the Rangers looking for a 4 year deal. However there are some outside contenders for the centerfielder, one being the Brewers. It seems to be unlikely that they could land him due to the enormous amount of money he is asking for but there is still a chance (look at what happened with Prince Fielder). Also the Mariners are showing interest but also like the Brewers, this is not likely. The big team that is in the discussion, the Phillies with their outfield looking dreadful at the moment they are looking for options to improve their outfield as a whole. According to almost everyone with information on the topic they seem to think that the Phillies would have to clear some payroll to acquire Hamilton, this meaning that they would probably need to deal pitcher Cliff Lee to another team which would clear enough room for them to sign him. Josh Hamilton is a hero to many and has been through a lot, he is a great player and in my opinion a great human being. That’s why I hope that I am wrong about this, maybe he will turn out to be a great player for years and years to come but I would not be willing to put my team’s money on the line to find out. But as always that is only one man’s opinion, I would love to hear what you guys think. Leave a comment and start a conversation, also please if you like this post hit the like button, it would mean a lot to me. 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