By KEITH WHITMIRE
FOXSportsSouthwest.com
February 10, 2011
Break out the ginger ale!
The Rangers generated some good news Thursday to deflect all the Michael Young brooding. The club announced a two-year agreement with reigning American League MVP Josh Hamilton.
The deal averts a potentially nasty showdown on Valentine's Day, when Hamilton was due to have his arbitration hearing. By stretching the deal to two years, it avoids the possibility of arbitration altogether.
Hamilton can still walk via free agency after two years, but does this sound like a player who wants to leave town?
"I want to be a part of this organization not only for the next couple of years, but for a long time to come," Hamilton said at Thursday's press conference.
The Hamilton announcement comes after several days of debate over Young's comments that he had been "misled and manipulated" by the Rangers.
Could that be the reason the Rangers agreed to Hamilton's price? While the Rangers were offering $8.7 million for next year, Hamilton was asking for $12 million.
The Rangers not only met Hamilton's number, they gave it to him for two years. Reports say the deal includes a $3 million signing bonus and salaries of $7.25 million this season and $13.75 million next season.
Where Hamilton's price goes from there will be determined by him over the next two seasons. If he stays healthy and continues to put up MVP-type numbers, $12 million a year will look like a bargain heading into 2013. In some aspects, it already is.
That's the second windfall from this deal. The first is the avoidance of an arbitration hearing, something the franchise hasn't dealt with since Lee Stevens in 2000.
No matter how confident Hamilton sounded about his chances in arbitration, such hearings can leave lingering resentment after a club presents all the negatives about a player. When there are millions at stake, management can find negatives about Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
The two-year deal also sets a timetable for the Rangers to work on tying up Hamilton for several more years.
"It's a two year deal, but we're certainly hoping it's indicative of a much longer relationship," general manager Jon Daniels said.
The two-year window also gives the Rangers some relief if somehow Hamilton doesn't live up to his contract, or wants out like Young currently does.
The Rangers are in a bind with Young in large part because of the five-year extension they signed him to back in 2007. Young is owed $48 million over the next three years.
Think about that
