Josh Hamilton - 2013 free agent

[Vottomatic]

Who do you think will sign him?
What kind of contract....years/amount?

Doubtful the Reds will even be players, but do you think they might?

[Vottomatic]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...amiljo03.shtml

Just realized he'll turn 32 next May. Yikes. I think that will be a factor.

Wouldn't surprise me to see some team do a short in length/high in dollars type contract for him. 2 yrs/$40M?$50M

[mattfeet]

I wouldn't touch Hamilton at this point in his career. Dude can carry a team by himself when he's on fire, but also can hit .180 over 2 months and create rifts in the clubhouse. Pass. That money can (and hopefully will) be spent a lot better elsewhere.

-Matt

[RedsManRick]

I think he'll get something like 2/50 with an option from somebody.

[UKFlounder]

Hasn't Texas offered him (or maybe just discussed) a 4 year contract with him, but he turned it down as he wanted more?

Of course, that does not mean he will get more, but it might be another situation that does not get resolved soon - maybe kind of like Fielder last year?

[The Operator]

He'll have to realize there won't be many teams willing to lock into a long term commitment with him. That's the price you pay for being a recovering addict - it sucks, but it is what it is.

I know there's no chance but I'd love The Reds to at least kick the tires on him. Could you imagine Hamilton in the middle of this lineup? Yikes. I'd have to think he also still has a soft spot for the team who gave him a chance to resurrect his career when no one else would. Ya never know...

[OesterPoster]

Probably the Dodgers. They seem to be able to suddenly print money. Hope it's not the Cardinals.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by The Operator

He'll have to realize there won't be many teams willing to lock into a long term commitment with him. That's the price you pay for being a recovering addict - it sucks, but it is what it is.

You would think not but there are several teams out there flush with TV money that might want to make a big splash. A team like the Mets might want to make a big splash and overpay a guy like Hamilton - not necessarily in money but in years.

Personally, I think he's going to stay with TEX. Money doesn't seem to be a problem with them and they can always use him as a DH if he is unable to play in the field because of injuries.

[WildcatFan]

Originally Posted by OesterPoster

Hope it's not the Cardinals.

As do I, but they've got quite a load coming off the books after this year:

Kyle Lohse
Lance Berkman
Brian Fuentes
Jake Westbrook (Has a 2013 option)
Adam Wainwright (Has a 2013 option)

That's $46.5 million worth of contracts.

[medford]

I'm gonna guess he winds up with the nationals. After shutting down their star pitcher early this year (assuming they hold true to their word) despite being in 1st place, there will be some added pressure to come big. Washington is relatively close to his hometown in North Carolina (I think that's where he's from if I remember correctly, though I have no idea how many ties he still has to his hometown)

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by RedsManRick

I think he'll get something like 2/50 with an option from somebody.

MLB teams don't have that sort of restraint. Where'd you get the idea that they do? He'll get many more years than 2

[oneupper]

He'll get at least 5/100 with a sixth year option, probably from the same team that gave 7 years to Jason Werth.
Or from the team that gave 7 years to Carl Crawford.

[REDREAD]

Originally Posted by oneupper

He'll get at least 5/100 with a sixth year option, probably from the same team that gave 7 years to Jason Werth.
Or from the team that gave 7 years to Carl Crawford.

I tend to agree.. although in all honesty, it makes more sense to blow that kind of money on someone like Hamilton with MVP potential than someone like Werth/Crawford. Someone is going to give him a monster contract, no doubt.

That last Padres TV deal has me thinking.. I wonder if 20 million/year players are going to be considered cheap in the future? It wasn't long ago that Marge created an uproar among owners for making Eric Davis the highest paid player at <gasp> 3 million/year. lol (Not a comment on Marge, but 3 million/year used to be considered exhorbitant).. Also, I think the Reds were one of the first teams to have a known bench player make over 1 million/year when they traded for Glen Braggs, intending to use him as a 4th OF.. I remember people saying.. OMG.. how can they pay 1 million/year for a bench player
Times have changed.. I expect if all the clubs get a boatload of TV money, salaries are going to escalate again.

[LegallyMinded]

The list of free agent outfielders for 2013 doesn't seem too inspiring at this point. Michael Bourn seems like the best option, given that at 30 he's younger than many other free agents on the market and has turned in very consistent production (four straight years of 4+ war, according to fangraphs), but after that, it seems like a steep drop off.

I'll be interested to see whether Hamilton or Shane Victorino gets a bigger deal. They're the same age, at 32, and both come with big question marks, given Victorino's drop in power and Hamilton's (1) recent lack of production and (2) comments about being mentally out of sorts. Victorino has turned in more consistent performances over the last few years, but Hamilton obviously has more upside and potential for a monster season. As a team considering an offer to one of them, I'd say it comes down to whether you want to play it (relatively) safe with Victorino, or gamble and see if you can get Hamilton to agree to a relatively short-term contract.

Also, I do agree with some of the above posters that Hamilton will likely get offered a long term deal, but I wonder if he'd actually prefer a short-term contract to try to rebuild his value in light of his recent struggles.

[hebroncougar]

Originally Posted by LegallyMinded

The list of free agent outfielders for 2013 doesn't seem too inspiring at this point. Michael Bourn seems like the best option, given that at 30 he's younger than many other free agents on the market and has turned in very consistent production (four straight years of 4+ war, according to fangraphs), but after that, it seems like a steep drop off.

I'll be interested to see whether Hamilton or Shane Victorino gets a bigger deal. They're the same age, at 32, and both come with big question marks, given Victorino's drop in power and Hamilton's (1) recent lack of production and (2) comments about being mentally out of sorts. Victorino has turned in more consistent performances over the last few years, but Hamilton obviously has more upside and potential for a monster season. As a team considering an offer to one of them, I'd say it comes down to whether you want to play it (relatively) safe with Victorino, or gamble and see if you can get Hamilton to agree to a relatively short-term contract.

Also, I do agree with some of the above posters that Hamilton will likely get offered a long term deal, but I wonder if he'd actually prefer a short-term contract to try to rebuild his value in light of his recent struggles.

Oh, Victorino's deal will pale in comparison to Hamilton. You see what teams thought of him at the trade deadline.