The Los Angeles Angels have treated Josh Hamilton the way several organizations might when a troubled superstar gives into his demons.
That doesn't make Angels right, says another of their employees.
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Pitcher C.J. Wilson, a current Angels starter and longtime friend of Hamilton's from their playing days with the Texas Rangers, has lashed out at his organization for its utter lack of compassion for one of its own, the Orange County Register is reporting.
"If Josh was hitting .300 with 35 home runs a year, what's the situation?" Wilson said Saturday, according to the OCR. "Obviously, that's the player that they want. That's the player they paid for."
The problem is that the outfielder signed a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels after rising to stardom with the Rangers.
Hamilton wasn't awful in 2013 - 21 homers, 79 runs batted in and a .250 batting average, although all three stats were woefully short of his career highs of 43 home runs and 128 RBIs (in 2012) and a batting average of .359 (in 2010).
Last season, Hamilton played in just 89 games and hit just 10 home runs and drove in 44. Then in the offseason, the known drug-addict self-reported that he'd had a relapse involving cocaine and alcohol.
According to the OCR, Angels owner Arte Moreno said the team is exploring recourse options of the remaining $83 million on his contract after an arbiter ruled Hamilton would not be suspended. Moreno claimed that the Angels put a clause in Hamilton's contract that protected them in case he relapsed and that the MLB Players Association agreed to the clause.
The MLB Players Association denied approving any such language and MLB sources told the Register that the language is unenforceable under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
But Wilson, who has been Hamilton's teammate, said the Angels wouldn't have a problem with Hamilton's relapse if he had been as productive as he was his Rangers years, or at least would show more compassion.
The Angels, after all, knew about Hamilton's potential problems when they signed him to their five-year deal.
"I care about him, and I care way more about him than a lot of people do," Wilson said. "In the grand scheme of things, it seems like he doesn't have a constant problem.
"Let's face it: Josh is not the only person in professional sports that has had an addiction issue. He's just the most open about it."
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