In a story that has unfolded rapidly over the course of the day, the Angels appear to be on the verge of sending Josh Hamilton to the Rangers:
Rangers are close to trading for Josh Hamilton…. still a lot of legal work to be done… likely announced on Mondat sources say
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) April 24, 2015
Apparently, Hamilton wasn’t down with the Angels’ comeback plan for him and rejected the idea of going to extended spring training to prep for the season. This accelerated what was really an exit strategy for the Angels anyway and the end result is this. This could still fall through though, so stay tuned for updates.
UPDATE: After a whirlwind of activity, it appears that Josh Hamilton’s deal is going to get done, but it is going to be kind of weird.
Sources say Rangers will NOT send any players to #Angels and take on LESS than $15M. Hamilton will relinquish some money; amount not known.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 25, 2015
Another factor in the Hamilton equation is that there is no state income in Texas. That element is part of the financial mix.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 25, 2015
The long and short of it is that the Angels are going to get money back from, about $15 million. Some of it will come from Texas, some of it will come from Hamilton forfeiting salary. That seems like it will be allowed because of the lack of state income tax in Texas. He basically gets the same money, but the Angels get to save. Everyone wins… sort of.
Because this is such a weird deal, it could take time to get finalized and maybe even fall apart, but either way, Hamilton is done in Anaheim and will end up in Texas.
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