During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday morning, new Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Josh Hamilton claimed that the Texas Rangers never made him a contract offer this offseason.
Hamilton said that he gave the Rangers no promise to counter any offer he received, and that he gave the Rangers the first shot to re-sign him after the season. Apparently Texas never even took that shot, leading to Hamilton signing with the division rival Angels. Hamilton also claims that he wasn't offended by the lack of an offer from his former team, but that the Rangers' assumption that he was comfortable with the team and wouldn't go anywhere was a mistake.
Before the season, Hamilton said in an interview that he didn't feel like he owed the Rangers anything, words that irritated Texas general manager Jon Daniels. Daniels also claimed that at the Winter Meetings, the Rangers and Hamilton had talked about a "concept" for a contract, with nothing actually offered. At the end of the day, if Hamilton's claims that he never even got an actual offer from the Rangers is true, Daniels and his staff have egg on their faces. You can't expect the best hitter on the free agent market to sit around and wait for you to make an offer if another team is jumping in on the act. It just doesn't work that way anymore.
