The Red Sox brought in a number of free agents during the offseason. Josh Hamilton wasn’t one of them.
Hamilton, considered the biggest offensive free agent on the open market this past offseason, ended up signing with the Angels, but it wasn’t before tons of speculation about whether or not the 2010 American League MVP would land in Boston. Even David Ortiz thought there was a chance of Hamilton donning a Sox uniform.
“I thought it was going to happen,” Ortiz told WEEI.com. “It didn’t happen, but I thought it was going to happen. We let some guys go that was like $300 million, so I thought there was a chance.”
Ortiz, of course, is referring to the Red Sox’ trade with the Dodgers in which Boston ridded itself of three big contracts. The Red Sox ended up spending some dough during the offseason, but rather than shell out a five-year, $125 million contract to one player like the Angels did, they opted to allocate their funds in various areas.
The Red Sox may have considered signing Hamilton, though. According to WEEI.com, the Sox and Hamilton came close to a deal. But, at the end of the day, money talks, and it appears the Angels’ offer was too rich for the Red Sox’ blood.
Right now, it looks like the Sox made the right decision in steering clear of Hamilton. The 32-year-old is hitting just .216 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs for the struggling Angels, while Boston keeps rolling atop the AL East.
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