Other clubs are convinced that deal effectively removed the Dodgers as major players in this winter's free-agent market. So Hamilton can scratch L.A. off his list of potential destinations. And the Red Sox, even with the gazillions of dollars in payroll space they've freed up, figure to be more cautious about their next nine-figure free agent than you might expect.
So who does that leave? The Yankees? Their next monster deal will go to Robinson Cano. The Phillies? They're out of the $20-million-a-year market for now. The Angels? Overloaded in outfielders already. The Mets? 'Fraid not.
"So it's going to be a fascinating market for him, because of his history," one American League executive said of Hamilton. "Any player who can have the impact on a game he can have, you'd love to add. But on a nine-figure deal … I wouldn't say he's a slam dunk to make a team happy for the next seven years. To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me to see a mid-market team come out of the woodwork and step up and pay him, kind of like the way the Reds did with Joey Votto. As we always say, all you need is one team."
But who is that team? The Brewers? Orioles? Blue Jays? Maybe. Stay tuned.
Jayson Stark | email
Senior Writer, ESPN.com- Senior writer for ESPN.com
- 21 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer
- Author of two baseball books
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jayson Stark
Jayson Stark has been a senior baseball writer for ESPN.com since 2000. His regular contributions include the newsy Rumblings and Grumblings column, his eclectic "Three Strikes" blog and his tilted look inside baseball's numbers and quirks, the Useless Information Department.
Stark also makes regular television appearances on "SportsCenter," "Outside the Lines" and "Baseball Tonight." He is a regular ESPN Radio guest of Mike & Mike, the Doug Gottlieb Show, the John Kinkade Show, ESPN Radio tonight and numerous other shows on the network.
Before arriving at ESPN, Stark worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 21 years. He was twice named Pennsylvania's sportswriter of the year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. In 2010, he was honored by the Foster Conference for Distinguished Writers for his books and other work. He is the author of two books, "The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History" (Triumph Books, 2006) and "Worth The Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies" (Triumph Books, 2009).
You must be signed in to post a comment