Josh Hamilton Contract Crowdsourcing

It's been a while since I've done one of these (I guess this still qualifies as a thinly disguised ATBGO post), but here's today's house jam that you've (a) never heard of and (b) will either love or hate, as I can't imagine there being much middle ground on a song like this:

So, yeah, the Josh Hamilton contract talk may have reached its apex, and we're still six-odd months away from free agency. Here's what we've got out there today:

● The USA Today's Bob Nightengale spoke to five "major league talent evaluators" about Hamilton's next contract, and they agreed across the board that he will pull down at least $20 million per year over five years. One American League assistant manager predicts that his eventual deal will look something like Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214 million deal before all is said and done. 

● Randy Galloway flip-flops from his previously conservative stance, and says that the minimum bid for Hamilton should start at six years, $160 million, while also saying that he'd go above and beyond that to keep Hamilton here. There are also some remarks from Nolan Ryan about not knowing how much he'd throw down for Hamilton right now, and then there's also this:

Just a guess, and it's only a guess, but at the end of Arizona spring training, a mere six weeks ago, Josh probably could have been signed for his terms of six years, $150 million, all guaranteed.

The Rangers, at the time, would have been considered nuts for investing that much into demons and injuries unless there were "out" clauses for the club after each season.

At the moment, of course, that number would probably be a bargain, even at 25 mil a year guaranteed.

hahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAH

● Hamilton talks to SI.com's Tom Verducci about his situation, and says a lot of good things about the Rangers' organization while reaffirming his desire to say here ... but he also says that it's going to be okay if he doesn't end up staying in Texas. Of course, I wouldn't expect him to say anything to the contrary. I don't think Hamilton saying "Actually, I'm going to relapse repeatedly and hard without my Texas support system" would be in the best interest of his financial situation.

● Ben Rogers writes that Hamilton's asking price is only further escalated by the fact that he's the transcendent kind of player that people will actually pay money to come and watch, and has evolved into a brand all by himself. 

● And Jon Daniels updates the Hamilton contract talks by telling everyone that there's nothing to update. 

Now that we've rummaged through all of that, let's see how these two crowdsourcing polls turn out. They'll close 36 hours from now. Please answer both polls as truthfully as you can, and keep in mind that I'm asking for your maximum bid in terms of dollars per year/years, and not how much you think he'll actually get.