UPDATE: The trade has been made official and the Rangers have scheduled a news conference for 3:30 p.m. CT, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
The saga between the Los Angeles Angels and Josh Hamilton appears to be coming to an end. According to sources, the Angels and Rangers have agreed to terms to send the former AL MVP back to Texas.
Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated was the first to break news that it was a "matter of days" before Hamilton's short stint in Los Angeles would be coming to an end. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal confirmed that report hours later.
On Friday evening, T.R. Sullivan, who covers the Rangers for MLB.com, reported the club was close to trading for Hamilton, but there was still a lot of legal work to be completed. Sources told him a deal would likely be announced on Monday.
Soon thereafter, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi noted Hamilton was in Houston and "expected to begin full baseball activities with the Rangers next week if the deal is finalized." The deal is not yet finalized, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the two sides have agreed to the trade and there were "a few ancillary things left to be worked out."
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports then provided the financial details of the deal, which apparently still leave the burden on the Angels. Texas will only pay "around $15 million" of Hamilton's remaining dollars, while Los Angeles is on the hook for rest. The 33-year-old is owed $90.2 million over the next three seasons, so the Angels would be expected to pay at least $75 million.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today then noted Hamilton gave up some money to make the trade work for the Rangers and Los Angeles would be covering at least "about $68 million."
A number of Rangers players are excited to hear the news, and once the deal is finalized Hamilton will be rejoining a lot of his old teammates. The five-time All-Star reportedly suffered a relapse with drugs and alcohol this offseason, which has caused much of a stir between him and the Angels, particularly owner Arte Moreno, general manager Jerry DiPoto and manager Mike Scioscia.
Hamilton was suspended from baseball between 2004-2006 (while he was in the minor leagues) because he failed numerous drug tests, but he came back and overcame his addiction issues to win the AL MVP award in 2010 after batting .359/.411/.633 with 95 runs scored, 32 home runs and 100 RBIs with Texas.
He's now on track to return to the club where he's had most of his success.
UPDATE: According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers will pay a little more than $6 million of Hamilton's contract and the slugger will sacrifice an additional $6 million to make the trade happen.
