MLB Won't Investigate Angels' Handling of Josh Hamilton

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league will not open an investigation to see whether the Los Angeles Angels violated confidentiality rules regarding outfielder Josh Hamilton's reported drug and alcohol relapse.

"Confidentiality is an important component of the drug program," Manfred said, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. "Unfortunately, the more people that know about something, the less likely it is that it's going to stay confidential. I think we will work hard going forward to make sure we do everything we possibly can to retain the type of confidentiality that has generally been a hallmark of our program."

Manfred said he has "no reason" to believe the Angels were behind the leak. Under the terms of MLB's drug program, no information is supposed to be made public unless there is a suspension.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

An independent arbitrator ruled last week that MLB could not suspend Hamilton despite his admitting to a substance-abuse relapse, according to ESPN.com. Hamilton, who was out of baseball for three full seasons from 2003 to 2005 due to drug-related suspensions and his recovery, previously suffered relapses in 2009 and 2012, according to ESPN.com's Richard Durrett.

Following the arbitrator's ruling, both MLB and the Angels issued statements calling the decision into question.

"The Office of the Commissioner disagrees with the decision, and will seek to address deficiencies in the manner in which drugs of abuse are addressed under the Program in the collective bargaining process," MLB's statement read, per Ted Berg of USA Today.

"The Angels have serious concerns about Josh's conduct, health and behavior and we are disappointed that he has broken an important commitment which he made to himself, his family, his teammates and our fans," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "We are going to do everything possible to assure he receives proper help for himself and for the well-being of his family."

Hamilton is due to make $25.4 million in 2015. He is in the third year of a five-year, $125 million contract. The former AL MVP hit just 31 home runs in his first two years in Los Angeles and began the 2015 campaign on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

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