Now that Prince Fielder is off the table with his big nine year contract that he signed with the Tigers, the Rangers cannot speculate about what they would do if they signed him. So, it seems that the talks they were having with Josh Hamilton had to intensify. Besides the fact that some of the higher-ups wanted Hamilton, it is pretty much a done deal now. Josh Hamilton has to remain a Ranger or the Rangers have no help in the hitting department. Well, they have people, but Hamilton is the help–the cleaner.
Now that they’re getting closer to Spring Training, they want to ensure this isn’t a problem–the contract that is.
Jon Daniels said:
“We both agree we don’t want it to be a distraction. So unless we’re 90 percent down the line, we both agree, ‘Hey let’s do it right up until we report and then let’s put it aside.’” Hopefully, we’ll have something positive to report.”
“We’d like to keep Josh here for an extended period of time. It’s got to be a deal that works for both sides. He’s got a unique set of circumstances because of how his career has played out and he’ll reach free agency at a different age than Prince [Fielder] or even Elvis [Andrus]. Josh will look at this, rightfully so, as the one time he hits free agentcy and how does he factor that in with his family and the different opportunities he has. We’re talking to them about this. We love Josh, love what he’s about and we want to keep him here and we’ll continue talking to him and hope we figure something out.”
I agree with Daniels, and I don’t think getting Hamilton to stay will be a problem, but given how much money is out there, I’d want to be a little cautious too. Maybe this gets done soon–that would be nice.
