Texas
Rangers

Rangers Team Report

Updated: February 08, 2012 06:22 EST

Once again, Josh Hamilton has lost one of his daily battles for sobriety.

On Feb. 3, Hamilton confirmed reports that he was drinking in a Dallas bar earlier in the week. He also said he had deceived teammate Ian Kinsler, who had joined him to keep him company.

Hamilton, who also had a slipup in January 2009, said he was in Dallas to attend to a family issue. He went out by himself for dinner and ordered a drink, then called Kinsler to join him. He said he did not drink in front of Kinsler, and Kinsler was unaware Hamilton had been drinking. Hamilton said Kinsler took him back to where he was staying and asked him if he needed to be accompanied upstairs. Hamilton said he told Kinsler he was fine, but when Kinsler left, he snuck back to the bar.

"When I talk about being sneaky, nobody saw me actually with a beer or drink in my hand. I can find ways where people don't see it," Hamilton said in a 12-minute statement to the media. "That doesn't excuse the fact that I was doing something that doesn't work for me. No drugs were used at all. I've had two drug tests since Monday, so I have no concerns there at all. But anytime I drink, there is a point that comes where the switch flips and you never know when that point will be reached. It might be first three or four, or the 15th, and that's what's so dangerous about it. Things happen to me personally that I'm not proud of after I drink, they are personal and being handled as that.

"There were no pictures of me having a beer with somebody or anything like that. I did take pictures with people, and it was just wrong. That's all it comes down to. I needed to be in a different place. I need to be responsible, period. And I was not responsible. Those actions of mine hurt a lot of people who are very close to me."

Hamilton acknowledged the incident to the Rangers on Jan. 31, and the sides put any talks about a contract extension on hold for the foreseeable future. It's unlikely those talks will be resumed before he can become a free agent at the end of the season.

The Rangers took the same approach in 2009 when Hamilton had a setback while he was involved in an offseason training program in Arizona. At the time, the club was trying to tie Hamilton up to a long-term deal that would have run through his arbitration years and extended into free agency. But when Hamilton slipped away from his hotel -- and "accountability partner" Johnny Narron -- one night and drank to excess, all talks stopped. The Rangers put Hamilton's sobriety first and figured they'd have more opportunity to discuss a long-term deal down the road.

"This is real," general manager Jon Daniels said Feb. 3. "This is something Josh deals with. It affects him and the people around him, and that's where our head is at right now."

A week after Hamilton's relapse was revealed, the Rangers hired Shayne Kelley to help keep Hamilton on track. Kelley will also assist hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh in addition to filling other roles.

Daniels also said that he does not like terms like "babysitter" or "accountability partner" to describe the role Kelley will have while overseeing Hamilton.

"The only person accountable for Josh is Josh, and he understands that," Daniels said. "We'll support him, just like we do for all of our players."

--SS Elvis Andrus won't need to worry about an arbitration hearing this year -- or the next two years. The 23-year-old agreed to a three-year deal worth between $14 million and $15 million, according to multiple media reports. The contract runs through the end of his arbitration-eligible years, and he still would be eligible for free agency following the 2014 season.

Andrus batted .279 with five homers and 37 stolen bases in 2011. He had been seeking $3.6 million in arbitration this month, while the Rangers had countered with a $2.65 million offer.

The Rangers acquired Andrus as part of the deal that sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta in 2007, and the spectacular defensive player earned the starting shortstop job in 2009.

--LHP Joe Beimel and OF/1B Conor Jackson signed minor league deals with the Rangers, and both were invited to the team's big-league camp.

Beimel, 34, was removed from the Pirates' roster last August after going 1-1 with a 5.33 ERA in 35 appearances. He could land a job as a lefty specialist, as neither Darren Oliver nor Mike Gonzalez was re-signed after last season.

Jackson, 29, was traded from Oakland to Boston last summer. Combined, he hit .244/.310/.341 with five homers and 43 RBI in 114 games.

--The Rangers rewarded manager Ron Washington with his second two-year contract extension in 14 months. The two-year deal, added to his current deal, gives Washington security through the 2014 season. If he stays through the end of the contract, Washington would have managed the most games in Rangers history.

--Rangers officials confirmed a meeting with free agent RHP Roy Oswalt on Jan. 30, but they did not elaborate on anything else. Texas would like to add Oswalt but currently doesn't have a clean fit for him in the rotation. The team likely would have to move a pitcher either to the bullpen or make a trade to fit in Oswalt. Still, it's possible the club could sign him to a deal, take an abundance of arms to spring training and let things get sorted there.

--INF Luis Hernandez and OF Julio Borbon, who will go to camp trying to win spots on the major league roster, will be at least be in shape to compete for jobs. Both made teams competing in the Caribbean Series. Hernandez was playing for Venezuela, while Borbon was competing for the Dominican Republic.

--OF Kyle Hudson signed a minor league contract with the Rangers. Hudson was a wide receiver at Illinois for three seasons and led the Illini in receptions and yardage in 2005-06. He had 81 steals in 112 attempts during his last two years in the Baltimore organization. Hudson, 25, went 4-for-28 (.143) in 14 games with the Orioles as a September call-up last year. He played for three Baltimore farm teams last year, hitting a combined .296 with a .375 on-base percentage.

--The Rangers have repeatedly cited the importance of scouting in their rise to two-time AL champions, and they have continued to invest in the scouting department this winter. The club recently beefed up its full-time amateur scouting staff from 21 to 24.

BY THE NUMBERS: 343 -- Games played by OF Josh Hamilton over the past three years, after he played a career-high 156 in 2008, his first season in Texas. Since that year, he has annually missed an average of about one-third of the season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If it's going to happen, I hope it happens quickly." -- RHP Koji Uehra, to Japanese reporters on the possibility of being traded. The Rangers had a deal in place with Toronto, but Uehara used his limited no-trade protection to veto the trade.

While the Rangers must spend the winter dealing with the disappointment of being one strike away from the world championship twice in Game 6, they appeared in excellent position to make a run for a third straight World Series appearance -- until Dec. 8, when the Angels smacked them with a 1-2 punch. Not only did the Angels sign Albert Pujols, but they swiped LHP C.J. Wilson from Texas, leaving the Rangers missing their top starter. GM Jon Daniels said he would not necessarily look at it as a "punch/counter-punch" situation, but the club suddenly had a major hole to fill in a thin pitching market. The Rangers addressed that deficiency by signing Japanese RHP Yu Darvish.

ARRIVALS: RHP Joe Nathan (free agent from Twins), 1B Brandon Snyder (trade with Orioles), RHP Yu Darvish (rights purchased from Japanese team), 1B/OF Brad Hawpe (free agent from Padres), LHP Joe Beimel (minor league free agent from Pirates), OF/1B Conor Jackson (minor league free agent from Red Sox).

DEPARTURES: C Taylor Teagarden (traded to Orioles), LHP C.J. Wilson (free agent, signed by Angels), INF Andres Blanco (free agent, signed minor league deal with Nationals), OF Endy Chavez (free agent, signed with Orioles), C Matt Treanor (free agent, signed with Dodgers), LHP Darren Oliver (free agent, signed with Blue Jays).

FREE AGENTS: LHP Michael Gonzalez, RHP Brandon Webb.

Losing Gonzalez would leave the Rangers without a lefty specialist in the bullpen, but that could be something they acquire during the offseason.

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: C Mike Napoli, OF Nelson Cruz.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--OF Josh Hamilton (sports hernia surgery in November 2011) should be ready for the start of spring training.

--1B Mitch Moreland (right wrist surgery in November 2011) might not be fully healed by the start of spring training.

--OF Julio Borbon (left ankle surgery in July 2011) missed the second half of the season, but he was able to play winter ball.