This time next year, we most likely will know our answer to the question that will be on everyone's minds throughout this season. Will the Rangers splurge and lock up Josh Hamilton long term as a free agent? He seemed to have conquered his addiction and that directly led to his mashing of American League pitching. The talent was always there but the distractions have been too much since he was drafted by the Devil Rays in 1999. He had a short stint with the Reds before being shipped for pitching to Texas. He made that trade look like a steal for the Rangers' organization as he overcame his addiction and put it all together for the first time in 2010 to win a MVP award that we all knew he could win. He hit for average and power which is a rare feat in the MLB nowadays. In 2008, he was able to drive in 130 runs but 2010 was his best season to date. He batted .359 and was basically impossible to get out. The deal looked especially great after Volquez was suspended for PEDs. All was right in Texas. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Rangers would resign their best overall player that led them to two straight pennants.
With the news coming out on Twitter last night about him having a relapse and drinking at a Dallas bar, we have to wonder again if it would be worth it to sign Hamilton to the money that his numbers suggest he should get on the free agent market.
This marks the second known relapse Hamilton has had since quitting drugs and alcohol. Hamilton drank alcohol in January 2009 in a bar in Tempe, Ariz. Photographs from the night surfaced on the Internet in August 2009 while the Rangers were playing at Anaheim. (Boston Herald)The Rangers know how it feels to be hamstrung by a deal that limits any sort of flexibility to be creative in creating your team after they signed Alex Rodriguez to a lucrative and insane deal. Texas was desperate for fans and desperate to win. That same desperation is gone now that they know they have a winning formula. They even showed that they could win without Hamilton with him having missed significant time in both years they went on to the World Series. He missed a little over 40 games in 2011 and over 30 in 2010. They aren't a team that is built around one player which actually makes Hamilton dispensable. As much offensive production as he does bring, he can be replaced in their winning system of baseball. They are a team that even without Hamilton could score more than most teams in either league.
If Hamilton is guaranteed to stay clean and addiction free, the deal is a no brainer. But after this recent relapse, Jon Daniels has to wonder if the money would be going to waste. I think the Rangers will ultimately resign Hamilton and put the same trust that they put in their embattled manager Ron Washington. The Rangers believe in forgiveness and rebirth. Both of these men have been accountable for their actions and deserve the respect they get from the front office and from the players. But from a fiscal point of view, one has to be wary before writing out that check to sign Hamilton. It's an unenviable place for the Rangers' organization to be in. It could polarize the fan base and leave some fans angered if he goes on to stay clean and rake for another team.
Texas has finally conquered a mission to become relevant in an area that is a dominantly Cowboys and Mavericks town. They have overshadowed the Astros and became the toast of the town the last couple of years. Paired with the Mavericks' championship run, the fans of Dallas have grown to love a team that they were otherwise indifferent about. Although they were unable to win two years in a row, there has been an electricity in Texas about baseball that was nonexistent just a few years prior.They must keep it going and decide whether Hamilton will part of that process.
In my opinion, the Rangers took a risk in trading for him in the first place. They showed faith in him and it has paid off. They need to continue to keep the faith in Hamilton through good times and bad. He has shown that he can be the best player in baseball when clean. You have continued to trust the good in Ron Washington, now show that you know Hamilton will rebound and stay strong through even the most trying times. Judging strictly by what he has done for the Texas Rangers on the field, he deserves that.
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