Despite Rocky Departure in 2012 and Latest Drama, Josh Hamilton Can Help Rangers

The Los Angeles Angels made a somewhat surprising move on Friday evening, agreeing to send embattled outfielder Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers. The Angels will not get any players in return, sources told the Los Angeles Times, so the move was made basically just to get Hamilton off their hands and save a few dollars in the process.

But could this move be a potential steal for the Rangers?

Turn back the clock to October of 2012, and Josh Hamilton was coming off of an outstanding season in which he hit a career-high 43 home runs and drove in 128, made his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance and finished fifth in the MVP voting. 

That terrific campaign made him one of the prized free agents on the market in the offseason, and instead of re-signing with the Rangers, he opted to sign with the Angels on a five-year, $125 million contract. 

But that wasn't the whole story.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels claimed that Hamilton's camp did not even give them a chance to match the Angels' offer.

"Our full expectation was that the phone call was going to be before he signed, certainly not after and giving us an idea," Daniels told ESPN.com.

And the saga still was not complete.

In February of 2013, after Hamilton had already ingratiated himself in Los Angeles, he had some pretty harsh words directed at the fans of his old ball club. This is what he said on a radio show, via CBSDFW.com:

"

Texas, especially Dallas, has always been a football town. They're supportive, but they also got a little spoiled at the same time, pretty quickly. You think about three to four years ago [before the Rangers made it to the World Series]. It's like, come on man, are you happier there again?

"

While these comments are probably true and are ostensibly not meant to be hurtful, he still took a shot at the fans by calling them spoiled. Ranger fans likely won't forget about that.

Since leaving good ole Arlington for the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles, Hamilton has struggled mightily. He hit only .255 with 31 home runs combined in his two seasons. His .739 OPS in 2013 was the lowest total of his career, and he could never put it together in his new home.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

His Angel career seemingly reached its lowest point in last year's American League Division Series, when he came back from injury to go hitless in 13 at-bats. He was booed by his own fans, and it was just a horrible situation all around.

Then came rock bottom in February of this year. Hamilton admitted that he had recently suffered a relapse that involved "at least cocaine." That led to him meeting with the MLB about possible consequences.

However, an arbitrator ruled that Hamilton could not face penalties of any kind on the grounds that he did not violate his drug treatment program. 

The Angels' ownership and front office did not like this ruling, and they publicly spoke out. It was unclear whether or not they even wanted Hamilton around anymore. That uncertainty is probably what led the Angels to shop Hamilton around the league, and the Rangers are the perfect landing spot.

First off, Hamilton resurrected his career in Arlington once before. He owns a home in the Dallas area, he knows the intricacies of the organization and his power would play well in Globe Life Park.

Next, and maybe the most glaring, is that the Ranger lineup is currently starving for power. Adrian Beltre and Robinson Chirinos each have two home runs on the year, which leads the team. After that, nine other players have hit one round-tripper, giving the team a grand total of 12 home runs in 18 games so far this season.

To put that total in perspective, Mariners outfielder and former Ranger Nelson Cruz has already hit nine by himself. Only five other teams have hit fewer home runs than the Rangers, and four teams have more than doubled their long ball output.

Texas' current outfield consists of Leonys Martin in center, Shin-Soo Choo in right and Ryan Rua, Jake Smolinski and Carlos Peguero all rotating in left. Martin and Choo are not doing a whole lot so far in 2015, but they are solid players. The addition of Hamilton—who will potentially play left field when the trade is finalized—will give the Rangers a decent outfield.

Think about it, even in 2013—when Hamilton was struggling and not living up to his contract— he still hit .250 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI. If he could match that production, it would certainly be welcomed by manager Jeff Banister.

If he can hit like that, his power numbers would surely improve playing his games in hitter-friendly Arlington as opposed to spacious Angel Stadium.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

An argument could be made that the Rangers—already a left-handed-heavy lineup—do not need another lefty because it would make them too one-dimensional. However, that could be a good thing considering that most of their opponents are right-handed pitchers. According to Tim Cowlishaw of the The Dallas Morning News, of the starting pitchers in the American League, not counting the Rangers staff, 51 are right-handed and 19 are southpaws.

With those numbers in mind, having too many lefties in the lineup is definitely better than having an overabundance of righties.

In addition to the production that Hamilton could add to the punchless lineup, the Rangers are also getting his services at an outrageous discount. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Rangers will only have to pay about $15 million of the $83 million that Hamilton is owed through 2017.

For only $15 million over three years, they are basically getting him for pennies on the dollar. Now, keep in mind that nobody knows what kind of player he will be. In addition to his battle with drugs and alcohol, Hamilton also had surgery on his right shoulder back on February 3. 

Ultimately, having Hamilton on the roster is a risk in itself. But I think it is a risk well worth taking. The current Ranger team has no chance to go anywhere this year and maybe even in the future, so why not bring in a guy who has had terrific success before? Especially when they only have to pay him $15 million! It seems like it is a no-lose situation.

It is unclear when Hamilton will be recovered from his injury and ready to play. He was slated to report to the Angels' spring complex in Arizona to begin the process of returning to the team, per the Los Angeles Times, but now that he was traded, it will be up to the Rangers to decide a timetable for his return.

Even if Hamilton is a bust and can't engender the same numbers at the plate that he did in the past, the Rangers aren't out much.

But the upside is substantial, and he may be able to resurrect his career, again. He might not ever be All-Star-caliber again in his career, but if he finds himself in the starting lineup in Texas, I think he could hit at least .250 with 25 or more home runs.

That kind of production cannot be frowned upon, and if he somehow turns into a star again, the fans likely won't have a hard time forgiving him for his comments back in 2013.