26 April 2015

Oh My Josh! The Angels Debacle

If reports about the reassignment of Josh Hamilton from the Angels to the Rangers are true, this is a capitulation of the highest -- and dumbest -- order. It is hard to imagine Anaheim brass handling this entire episode -- from signing to unsigning -- more incompetently.

The inking of Hamilton to a gargantuan contract following the 2012 season raised eyebrows in the first place. The Angels ponied up superstar money for a corner outfielder with enviable average and power but a history of injuries and drug use. They neglected to account for his age, physical and mental issues or home ballpark. Hamilton was 31 when he signed the $124 million deal and he was leaving The Hitters' Delight in Arlington.

When Hamilton stumbled in the first year of his contract, missed half of his sophomore season in Southern Cal and then admitted a drug relapse this off-season, management responded as if these developments were unimaginable. As if no one could have foreseen, or at least factored in the possibility of, a decline in performance, injury and continued fallout from addiction.

Word now is that the Angels are willing to eat $68 million of the remaining $80 million to unload Hamilton. They are sending him to their intra-division rivals who will pay their former and future left fielder just $7 million over three years after he forgoes the $6 million he'll save in income taxes by moving back to Texas. Anaheim gets bupkus in return, besides the serenity of knowing they don't have to babysit their #5 hitter anymore.

So to recap: The Angels paid Josh Hamilton $112 million for three wins against replacement, not counting the egg he laid in the playoffs or that's on the face of Anaheim brass. And the pain could be magnified if he bounces back even a little and contributes to Rangers wins against their club. For the next three years, they will be paying Josh Hamilton handsomely, perhaps to beat them.

The Angels may believe this is addition by subtraction but it comes at an incredible price. And the pain could multiply if he flourishes back in Texas. What a debacle.

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