Josh Hamilton could move in for arbitration this season
The battle for the next major league title is heating up and teams are looking to reinforce their case for the playoffs with additions being made to their roster. Time is still on the horizon, concerning the offseason player acquisition
period. The free agency is still open for business and depending on the needs of the ball clubs there are options available. Players like Jorge Cantu and Vladimir Guerrero are still looking for a club to play with.
However, some teams are already up to the challenge and they are not waiting longer for the offseason period to conclude. Players from various teams are making most of the time available to them by getting back to shape and working
on their talents on the field. Nevertheless, there are players who have particular issues with the management at their respective clubs. One common agenda concerns the salary package for the year.
Josh Hamilton of Texas Rangers is looking at a possible visit to the arbitration panel and the reason appears to be the distortion in the valuation of his services. The offer he is pitching to the Texans is $12 million. The amount
does not appear to be a lot, given the fact that he belted the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and added that to his trophy for the American League Championship MVP award.
The situation has been a unique one for the club and the player. Hamilton earned $3.25 million last year and if his offer is accepted, he will be availing a more than 300% increase in his salary. The Rangers are trying to avoid
a situation by which they would be deeply strained, financially. Hence, the Texas club has wasted no time in tabling an offer worth $8.7 million, with the difference in the amounts being notable.
The deviation between the two figures means that the variation is the second highest after that of Jose Bautista and the Toronto Blue Jays. Nevertheless, if an agreement does not come to fold, the two parties could find themselves
in front of a three-member panel. That would be the first time Rangers go into the deadlock since 2000. General Manager, Jon Daniels, recently commented on the issue and clarified that health was not a factor in the decision to prolong the matter with Josh
Hamilton.
"Health is a factor we have to consider with every player, not just Josh," Daniels said. "You consider value on the field, value in the community, what a player has done in the past and what he projects to do in the future. Health
enters into it. There is no doubt that if Josh is healthy, nobody doubts his talent. We're a better team with him. There's no one factor we dwell on. We love the player and we love being here."
"I have to ask myself what kind of player I want to be," Hamilton said. "That's the question I have to ask myself. Do I want to be the player that fans want me to be and go all-out? Or do I want to play 80 percent and try not to
get hurt. Do I want to do that? Probably not. I don't want to set the example of a guy going through the motions. I know how I need to play. If you talk to fans, I think they love how I play. If you play, you risk injury. If you play hard, you risk more injury.
I don't have the answer. Physically, I feel as good as I did the last two years."
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