ARLINGTON, Texas – Josh Hamilton made it clear when the Los Angeles Angels decided they didn't want him anymore that his preference was to come back to Texas.
The Rangers made his wish a reality Monday by completing a trade with the Angels for either cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Hamilton, 33, will head to Arizona to begin extended spring training Tuesday before going out on a rehab assignment. Hamilton, who is recovering from right shoulder surgery, could be back in the Rangers lineup in mid to late May.
When he does return to the Rangers he'll do so for a team that Hamilton experienced his highest of highs, winning an American League most valuable player award in 2010 and leading the Rangers to back-to-back World Series trips.
While it's impossible to know if Hamilton can return to that level of play again, he knows he'll be playing where he wants.
"I'm excited to be back home," said Hamilton in a nearly 30-minute press conference. "I had a lot of good memories here, a lot of ballgames won here when I was here with the team we had and with you guys cheering me on. For me, it's still be the loudest ballpark I've ever played in."
Hamilton addressed his comments about the Metroplex not being a baseball town, his offseason substance-abuse relapse and his relationship with the Angels. Los Angeles wanted Hamilton gone bad enough that it's willing to eat the majority of the $80 million still owed to Hamilton through the 2017 season.
He's once again surrounded by the support group that he had while he was with the Rangers. Shayne Kelly, who served as an accountability partner for Hamilton in 2012, is back in a similar role now. He said there are others in his support group now that helped in him the past.
"I've taken it back to 2012, pre-2012 as far as having my same support group that I want to have and that I get along with and I feel like is the best for me," Hamilton said. "I've put all those pieces back in place to help me obviously one, not drink, use drugs, but be the guy I need to be to come back and be that for the organization and my family."
Major League Baseball's decision not to suspend Hamilton was the final nail in Hamilton's coffin with the Angels. The club didn't have a locker for Hamilton in spring training and he wasn't used in any of the club's marketing this season despite the five year, $125-million deal he signed with Los Angeles following the 2012 season.
Despite those issues, if the Rangers would have welcomed Hamilton back he said he'd have been rehabbing during spring training and would be in the Los Angeles lineup right now.
Hamilton didn't understand why Angels owner Arte Moreno complained Hamilton wasn't accountable during his time with the Angels, especially considering Hamilton had already had two relapses during his time with Texas.
"I worked my butt off to be that guy going into this season for the Angels," he said. "They just didn't want that to happen for some reason. It doesn't hurt my feelings. It doesn't make me mad, any of that. He (Moreno) knew what the deal was when he signed me, hands down. He knew what he was getting. He knew what the risks were. He knew all of those things."
What the Rangers are getting in Hamilton remains to be seen. He was nowhere near the same player with the Angels he was during his time in Texas. A five-time All-Star with the Rangers, Hamilton batted .250 in his first season in Los Angeles and then was limited to 89 games in an injury-plagued 2014.
Hamilton totaled 31 homers and 123 RBI in his time in Los Angeles, which wasn't as good as his power numbers (43 home runs, 128 RBI) he had in his final season with Texas.
He's now two unproductive years older but general manager Jon Daniels doesn't believe Hamilton's best days are necessarily behind him.
"I feel good about our chances to get a productive player," Daniels said. "I think this guy's been counted out a lot of times. He sat out four years and came back and was the best player in the game. I'm not saying he's going to perform at that level again. He doesn't necessarily need to and help us. Some people may think I'm crazy for saying this but it wouldn't shock me if he does either."
Hamilton will be issued his old jersey No. 32 but there's no set position for Hamilton when he returns. He could play in left field, right field or be the designated hitter. But even if he's not the old Hamilton he could still probably boost the Texas offense.
The Rangers are last in the AL in the standings largely because of an offense that's last in average and 10th in runs scored. No regular outfielder is hitting higher than .234.
In a bottom-line business, while the Hamilton move has a feel-good vibe, that's not what the move is about.
"The reward outweighs the risk, pretty simple," Daniels said.
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