Now that the knee-jerk reactions are done, it’s time to seriously take a look at Josh Hamilton. The Texas Rangers clearly have a dilemma on their hands with one of baseball’s most talented athletes. He’s arguably the most popular player in on the Rangers, and certainly among the biggest in the game. However, at some point the Rangers have to ask themselves how much negativity is too much.
The latest relapse is his second strike since joining the Rangers–that we know of. Three strikes and he’s done would follow the conventional wisdom, but should the Rangers wait until that third strike occurs?
Forget the fact he’s a free agent at the end of the year, since there’s no contract in place beyond this year. That’s not the issue. The issue would be the same if he had a big lucrative contract like Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder got with the Angels and Tigers over the last couple months.
It’s no secret the incident cost Josh Hamilton a deal like that. Or is it? Some team will be willing to give Hamilton a chance, but the Rangers can’t overpay for him given the risks.
If a player has too much baggage, it’s time to let him go regardless of the circumstances. Add to the fact it’s not just baggage, it’s an addiction. Hamilton is always going to be one step away from blowing his career completely. It’s simply not worth it.
It’s rumored Josh Hamilton can’t even carry any sort of cash or credit card with him because the addiction is so bad. That’s, without a doubt, a huge liability. How many other professional teams carry around a liability like that?
The Rangers can give Hamilton one last chance, but there better be a clause in his contract covering his addiction to cover the Rangers. The best thing for the Rangers to do is give me a recurring one year contract with incentive based clauses. Anything close to $20 million per season, is also too much money for him.
Any long term deal, the Rangers have to let him go.