Josh Hamilton Blocked From Contact With Angels Owner

Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The storyline that the Angels organization hoped they had moved past from, is still relevant, and emerging with new details. Josh Hamilton in a recent interview before his first rehab start with the Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate Frisco claimed he was denied the chance to meet with owner Arte Moreno. Basically Hamilton had stated that over the past few years, despite multiple requests, he was never given an opportunity to speak with owner Arte Moreno, instead he was always told that Angels GM Jerry Dipoto would relay the message.

Here is exactly what Hamilton had to say in the interview with Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas-Morning News:

“I wanted to talk to [Moreno] and tell him, ‘I’m working my butt off and want to be the guy that played against you all these years,’ but I was turned down by the GM and the team president. They said they would let him know,” Hamilton said.
“Same thing after this incident [his offseason relapse] and the [shoulder] surgery. I did what I needed to do to be a responsible man and employee and reach out to him. So my hands are clean.”

Obviously these quotes really highlight a failure on both ends of the spectrum between the Angels organization and Josh Hamilton. The on the field production had never quite been there for Hamilton with the Halos, after a string of injuries and the most recent relapse the handwriting was on the wall for his departure. Despite all of the money invested in Hamilton, it was clear that the front office saw this as a dead investment and decided to send him back to Texas for little to nothing in return.

Sure, Josh Hamilton never panned out and will ultimately go down as a terrible move for the Angels organization. Even considering that, it doesn’t give the Angels front office a pass for how they handled this situation. There could be a multitude of reasons that better describe what really was going on between the two, but the front office should feel somewhat obligated to meet with players. I honestly think the Angels front office looks the worse of these two parties. They came across as weak, shrewd, and basically folded when it came time to fight or flight.

Hamilton was going to be under contract regardless, and despite the relapse, would have been a contributor by July. Even if the plan was going to be to trade him, why move him immediately when his stock is rock bottom? As we see the Angels have struggled with production from the current platoon in LF and probably could use another bat in the lineup. Having got nothing in return for moving Hamilton to Texas is troubling and borderline stupid. This whole situation between the Angels and Josh Hamilton is just a massive failure from both parties, but the disconnect of the Angels front office is tough to accept.