Well, we certainly didn’t see this coming and from the looks of it, neither did MLB but the arbitrator in Josh Hamilton’s substance abuse case has ruled that Josh Hamilton will not be suspended:
MLB issued the following statement today regarding Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton: pic.twitter.com/FSDjHF4TyZ
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) April 3, 2015
Somehow the arbitrator decided that he didn’t actually commit a drug program violation even though Josh admitted to the use of cocaine, but never failed a drug test. I, for one, can’t wait to see the arbitrator’s full analysis of the case to see how exactly he/she squares that bit of logic away.
What that of course means to the Angels is that they won’t save a single cent on Hamilton’s salary this season, which is going to restrict their ability to maneuver on the trade market this season. It probably also means that Huston Street’s contract extension isn’t going to happen.
More importantly, this frees up Hamilton to return to the team as soon as he is deemed healthy (yay?). At last report he is only hitting off a tee right now, so he is weeks away from a return, but now at least the Angels know that they won’t have to factor a suspension into his recovery timeline as well. I guarantee you they were not really planning on that as a potential outcome of all this drama, so let’s sit back and see how they respond.
UPDATE: The Angels have released the below statement on Hamilton
Today's statement from GM Jerry Dipoto #Angels pic.twitter.com/UypfcIa16v
— Eric Kay (@EKay2121) April 3, 2015
Not exactly what I would call words of support. Josh’s eventual return should be lots of fun for everyone involved.
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