Josh Hamilton: 5 places he could end up in a trade

Beleaguered Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton is reportedly on the verge of being traded, but where will he end up?

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The Angels are reportedly making good on their threat to get rid of Josh Hamilton, with reports coming out on Friday that he’s on his way out of Anaheim, according to a tweet by Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal also says that the scenario is a trade and that it could actually fall apart at any second, but nevertheless an agreement is close. How’s that for conflicting scenarios? Let’s take a look at some places that Hamilton might end up.

1.Texas Rangers. This is actually looking like the top choice, if Twitter buzz is to be believed. TR Sullivan for MLB.com reported that, yes, the Rangers are looking into taking Hamilton back and they willing to do it. That has escalated to the point where the word is that the Rangers are “close” to trading for Hamilton.

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

Further sources are confirming that the team is extremely close to acquiring Hamilton and a deal could be announced as soon as Monday, according to Jon Heyman of CBS. The trade makes sense for both sides in a few ways. Hamilton has ties to Texas, he still has a house there, and the Rangers have a currently largely powerless outfield. But then again, how well can the Rangers actually expect him to play after everything that’s happened?

2.Houston Astros. Another Texas team, the Astros are holding onto a tenuous lead on the AL West, but their staff batting average is among the lowest, right next to surprise, surprise, the Rangers and the Angels. According to a report by the LA Times, Hamilton’s current teammates say he’s ready to go physically, so it makes the most sense that a team looking for hitting help would be most interested.

3.Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are sitting on a pretty powerless outfield themselves with a staff average of .213. Currently the guy on their team with the highest batting average is also a starting pitcher and his ERA is even higher, but that digresses.

4.New York Yankees. Another pretty hard market for Hamilton would be the Yankees. There are some things that make sense here, namely a struggling outfield and the fact that it would give manager Joe Girardi a lot of options on where to use him.

5.Minnesota Twins. The Twins also have an outfield that seems to be struggling to produce in terms of hits, particularly in left field where Hamilton usually plays. There, Jordan Schafer has a .114 average and a .139 OBP.

Of course, this is all conjecture as the trade between the Rangers and Angels is reportedly very close. According to Evan Grant of Dallas News, the trade is reportedly a low-risk deal that does not include sending Shin-Soo Choo to the Angels and likely includes the Angels eating a lot of Hamilton’s contract.

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