Get a load of this from Katie Hamilton!

"My take on it was that we were with them for five years," Katie Hamilton said. "If you're going to date somebody and that's going to be your man or your woman, then you make it official and make it known pretty quick, or at some point, that you want to be with them. They let us date other teams [at the Winter Meetings] and Josh said that's it, that he'd give them the first chance. They didn't take him up on that. They let us go out and date people and kind of give our hearts away."

ROFL

You could not make this shit up.

The more I think about this the more I think Katie is the crazy one and Josh is the normal one minus his addiction problems.

I think its pretty clear that they were looking at any chance to leave Texas since they lament JD not stepping up and being their manly man.

I think its also pretty obvious that JD didn't want Josh to come back if he didn't really want to be here. We don't need a star with an over sized ego and the kind of baggage that Josh has who just signed with us because we offered him the most money or because he couldn't get a better offer from anyone else. The Angels may have really helped us dodge a bullet here. I join major league executives in lauding JD for letting Hamilton go! I think what this is really about was the fact that JD didn't go above Josh's market when the Hamiltons were FREAKING out that no one was going to give him more than 3 at 25 per.

I felt really bad that you didn't WOOOO me because I had no one else WOOOOing me! So when Satan came along in the form of Art Moreno and asked me to marry him I SWOOOOONED and said yes right away! Yes yes yes, 125 million, he really wants me, he really loves me, he really cares about me, he is WOOOOOOING me. How could a girl ask for more?!

I spent 5 years of my life here, I gave you my all, I only made 30 million dollars, I MADE this team what it was, I CARRIED this team to two World Series, and I deserved 17 million dollars more than what you offered me! I DESERVED a lot more WOOING than you gave me.

All of this is just epic. The way Arod and Mark left here you hated them.

The way Katie and Josh left here you have to just feel sorry for them. Actually I feel more sorry for Josh that he is being unduly influenced by this nonsense from Katie. Maybe I am wrong but he seems more level headed than all that.

Sorry I had to make this its own thread! It is just too funny.

Katie needs to pay much more attention to who Josh is "dating" literally and not so much figuratively

This woman is bat shit crazy.

Well, last I checked it was josh who played CF here for the last 5 years. It was Josh who earned 30 mil from the Rangers. Also it was josh who arguably quit on the team a few times last season. It was Josh who became a distraction to the team that our fearless ultra respected leader (MY) could not control. So why does anyone even care what this out of touch future reality star has to say about baseball?

I can honestly see her on the next edition of real housewives. But of course just like josh there will be some lame excuse for how she screws up her life or his on the show. On second thought maybe she was over caffinated at the press conference?! No I know she had a strained jaw muscle that forced her to open up like that?! No she had a herniated brain and needed to be on the DL!!

Hey, she's a WOMAN... nuff said. Gotta love it. "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em".
Soooo Katy, "How far can one go, if one was traviling at 90 miles per hour?" "Oh, you mean MPH?"

Her Dad, is the driving force to this "Train Wreck".

Jump Josh Jump... it's not a cliff, but only a curb!

She does seem a bit cuckoo.

Nice post, Joe. That was pretty funny.

This was an amusing post, and the most amusing part of all was when Joe described Josh as "level-headed."

Why do we suddenly hear so much from player's wives once they sign with another team? Do the Rangers hush up the wives?

It's very hard to hush up such a "World Force" as Katie...

If I were JD, I would call the DBacks and try to build a 7-8 player package where we end up with Upton + Kubel + Montero.
Upton and Montero are locked into long term contracts, both of which run through, I believe, 2016, at very reasonable AAV. Towers can publicly say he’s not trading Upton but he had already made it known (also publicly) that he was tradable, so there's no love lost between the player and GM and if they go into Spring Training with Upton still on the roster, it could result in a divided clubhouse. Upton not being happy could also result in poor performance and all of a sudden Towers is selling low and is desperation mode. It’s much smarter to move him now, before things start to fester.

Getting Upton, Kubel, and Montero would probably cost Elvis (for Upton) + David Murphy + Mitch Moreland (for Kubel) + Martin Perez and Leonys Martin (for Montero).
We would be taking on money in that deal (but not much) and in 3 yrs the Montero contract become a “bad contract” as he hits 32, 33 yrs old... but you're filling a huge need behind the plate and you're adding 2 players (in Upton and Kubel) that collectively will replace Hamilton's power (plus Montero has some pop).

Once that trade is complete, you sign either Swisher for probably somewhere in the hefty range of 4yr/$60yr but he’s durable, very consistent, switch hitter, that would primarily play 1B but could play some OF too…OR you could go with LaRoche, which would be much cheaper (I’m guessing 3 yr/$27M deal would get it done) to be your every day 1B.. The only question with him is his durability, so you would probably want to give him 100-150 ABs at DH… but that's not a big deal.

Now that we've added Upton, Kubel, Montero, and either Swisher or LaRoache, we now trade Justin Grimm + another mid-level pitching prospect (i.e. Neil Ramirez) and/or Engel Beltre to the Twins for Josh Willingham, who becomes our primary DH/ but can also take spot starts in LF maybe even play some 1B (to spell either Swisher or LaRoache).
I have no idea what it would take to land Willingham but I know the Twins are a bad team and are at a cross-roads. They have to go all in and try capitalizing on the last few years of Mauer/Morneau or begin the rebuilding process 1 step at a time. My money is on them doing the smart thing and start rebuilding. Either way, they are looking for young starting pitchers and Grimm and Ramirez might be enough. Realistically, Justin Grimm was never going to be anything more than a #4 or #5 here and we have a huge pipeline of those type pitchers in our farm system. You might have to toss in another High A ball prospect… or interchange Neil Ramirez with Engel Beltre, etc… just let common sense be your guide.
Willingham will be 34 when the season starts but he's only signed through 2014 and his AAV is very affordable. If durability becomes an issue, let him rotate between 4th OFer and DH, similar to David Murphy but with game changing power.

So, now you've added 4 big bats (Upton, Kubell, Willingham, LaRoache or Swisher) , each of which are capable of 30 + HRs … all on team friendly contracts.
You've added an established catcher under 30 yrs old that can provide excellent defense while swatting 15-20 HRs and hitting .285. Granted, his age and length of contract is a concern but if we get 3 or 4 years out of him, we can eat the last yr or 2 of his contract and by then, we usher in the Jorge Alfaro era.

You pulled off these deals by only giving up 1 all-star level player (Elvis) and 2 regulars (Moreland and Murphy) but let's face it; Murphy and Moreland are probably not going to be the missing ingredients to winning a World Series. I know we came close with them both contributing, but that was then and this is now.

It hurts giving up Martin Perez and L. Martin but Perez evidently needs alot of time to develop and he could go through a similar growth process as Holland, which means he won't consistently contribute for another 2, 3 or even 4 years... and Martin is over-hyped and can be capably replaced by Gentry, who I prefer anyway.

With exception to Elvis, you didn’t touch the core of the team.... you’re not mortgaging the future…and more importantly, you didn't have to plop down $200M to do it. Also, these deals may make Nellie expendable and we can shop him around for pitching.

I have 1 last seemingly minor move... but there’s something about Luke Hochevar that just screams out as someone than needs a fresh start in a new place. A true “change of scenery” player.
I didn't check to see if he's a FA or if you'd have to trade for him but he's only 29, is a big 6'5 RHP that throws gas and has a nasty breaking ball. He was the overall #1 pick for a reason. Maybe he should have been a #10 pick but nevertheless, the talent is there but he’s been on bad teams his whole professional career. Maybe, just maybe, under the tutelage of the Maddux brothers he could become a poor man’s Colby Lewis or another Scott Feldman type asset we could use as a long reliever or as a spot starter when the inevitable injury bug hits.
If he's a FA, nobody in their right mind is going to invest more than a 2 yr $5M in this guy, I’d give him a non-guaranteed 2 yr “make good” contract for $5M. The 1st yr at $2.5M, loaded with attainable incentives that bumps it to $3M.. The 2nd yr would also be $2.5M and it too, would be loaded with incentives, BUT the 2nd yr is a team option with no buyout. If after year 1 we don’t like him, he’s no longer a Ranger and walks away with only his year 1 earnings of no more than $3M.
If he's trade bait, you could probably give the Royals a low level prospect and they'd do it in a second.

Through just a few relatively modest moves, you’ve replaced the power lost from Hamilton, Napoli, and Young (and by default of the trades, Moreland and Murphy). You’ve added a very good catcher signed at a reasonable AAV that will serve as both a place holder and possible mentor to Jorge Alfaro, you’ve traded for a potential superstar, solidified your bench, and added a long reliever/spot starter, albeit an experiment.

Now, the rub is you didn’t really make your team younger or more athletic. You also added guys with very high strike out totals… and you lost a lot of speed on the bases. Also, you only addressed ½ of your pitching problems… BUT you added experience, potential, high character guys (Upton is questionable and I have no clue what Hochevar is like but he’s easily expendable) and did so without significantly increasing your payroll or mortgaging the future.

Now, let the bashing begin… I know you will poke holes all through this post but if you do, please throw out a better, alternative, financially viable solution. Don’t say “you should have traded for Price, Verlander, and Kershaw”… just provide realistic alternative solutions and I will gladly admit I’m wrong if you prove I’m wrong.

anyone want to give me the spark notes for that post by Pablo?^^^^

Wash is still the manager though.

NAWF,

As compared with Katie. Context bro context.

The novelette was much shorter & readable. Pablo, put the coffee down

Pablo's post even challenges some of my novels of yesteryear.

Pablo, I didn't read every word of that, but we were talking about Josh and his wife being silly over the Rangers' not "courting" them enough. How did you get onto blockbuster trades and acquisitions?

Sorry, Katie. The Rangers don't date attention-seekers.

^^^ lol....i thought the same

Pablo do what Pablo do.

I'm sorry guys... I started it by saying good riddance to Josh and his 2nd head but it morphed into fantasy GM time. You have to admit though that it almost makes sense, right? Picking up versatile bats like Kubel, Willingham, Swisher/ La Roache + a legit catcher + a very young star in Upton is the only affordable way to replace the lost production. There are no available TORPS, so IMO, the only way this team iimproves is to beef up the line-up and play smash-mouth baseball. Reality is that if tomorrow were Opening Day, we are no better than the A's, Angels, OR the Mariners. We have to come to our lower expectations and concede this is a re-tooling year or JD needs to get off his ass and make some moves.

Pablo save it for another forum, there will be many opportunities. First hoping Hamilton has a continuation of his baseball career, but a major issue unfortunately for Josh, is that the last MLB city to send a recovering alcoholic/ x-drug addict, possibly aside for NYC is LA LA LAND, its reputation proceeds it. Hear is hoping he stays sober, would have been easier in Seattle or Milwaukee, but foresee an increase in back-sliding and a major effect on his baseball career.

Katie is just rationalizing a needlessly acrimonious departure from a team that afforded opportunities, second chances, support and patience very few other teams would, given her husbands history. Hamilton got what was most important to him out the deal: money. Now don't go away mad Katie, just go away.

We're not dealing with the sharpest tools in the shed, either of them. And that's saying a lot for baseball players and wives.

1 Timothy 6:10

1 Timothy 6, nice passage Ozzie, to remind all including myself and not just to criticize what it seems like the Hamiltons fell into.

"If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness."

"Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life."

I heard that part of Josh's contract included a donation of 2 million dollars to his charity. 2? out of 125? Add a zero and you might add some legitimacy to your supposed interest in helping a "hurting world."