Los Angeles Angels Should Trade Josh Hamilton for Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez

What would be the possibility that the Los Angeles Angels trade Josh Hamilton, their unwanted, rehabilitating outfielder for the New York Yankees’ unwanted, rehabilitating infielder Alex Rodriguez?

It may make sense for both teams.

Should the Angels consider trading Hamilton for Rodriguez? Both of which have rough contracts and both could benefit from a change of scenery. Things could start looking up big time for both ball clubs. The Angels have a solid team, even though they fell short in Monday’s game against the Mariners, adding another bat in their lineup is what they need.

Rodriguez, who holds a career average of .299 with 654 home runs according to MLB.com, could help the Angels from the Designated Hitter (DH) position — especially when you consider how the Angels fared against Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners.

The Angels currently have C.J. Cron as their DH, a rookie who batted .290 in the minors. Having A-Rod would be more than worth it for them. The Angels would have to eat a bit of money, being that A-Rod has about $60 million left in his contract and Hamilton has $83 million left in his deal, but losing Hamilton might be what they need. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto voiced his displeasure in regards to Hamilton’s non-suspension. It wasn’t necessarily a ringing endorsement to keep the five-time All-Star in Anaheim.

Hamilton has been with the Angels since 2013 and has not lived up to his five-year $125 million contract. Before that he was with the Rangers for five years, batting nearly .300 each year. He’s been busted for drug and alcohol problems multiple times throughout his career.

Though A-Rod is a veteran of the Yankees and one of their golden-boys, their top priority is to win games and make it to the World Series; but in order to do that they need to make sacrifices. The Yankees might benefit from swapping A-Rod’s contract for Hamilton’s so that they have a stronger offense. A huge gamble to take of course. Rodriguez is trying to resurrect what’s left of his career after his year-long suspension. Hamilton could be a success in the Bronx, as the new Yankee Stadium was 2014’s most home run and hitter-friendly ballpark in MLB. A-Rod’s power is a huge question mark this season but he did hit his first home run of the 2015 season on Thursday.

This brings along the business aspect of Major League Baseball. Is this good business for both the Angels and the Yankees? In my opinion, the Angels would have to swallow some money to get rid of Hamilton’s drama, but that may bring them closer to a World Series title which they haven’t seen since 2002. Essentially, both teams will be trading distractions.

Now with Hamilton being placed on the DL (disabled list) for 15 days to recover from shoulder surgery, what use will he be to the Angels?  They can’t play an injured man, and it seems the Angels’ brass doesn’t want him back, so the alternative is to trade. Dipoto’s comments make it seem that he’s second-guessing himself with the 34-year-old’s signing.

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What kind of deal could we see with this? Would the Angels trade their troubled outfielder for A-Rod? Would they be more comfortable waiting for Hamilton to be healthy again and hope he totally recovers from his ailments? Perhaps taking on A-Rod’s deal would be preferable since the Angels don’t have a solid backup third baseman behind David Freese. If both players find their groove again, it would be a win-win situation for both.

Only time will tell. Obviously both ball clubs would have to sign-off on any deal. The Yankees may be warming up to Rodriguez as they gave him an ovation on Opening Day.

It would be an interesting trade to see play out, but also it would be one that could change the entire Angels organization. With their lineup combined with A-Rod’s bat, they would be adding a player that has a lot to prove.

This could be a very influential step in awakening the Angels organization to become a monster team that is unbeatable and ready for greatness. The counter to this would be that nothing would change for the Angels. The 39-year-old DH/IF has a chip on his shoulder and is determined to show MLB he can still be effective.

Regardless of the outcome, it’s about time that the Angels step it up and start getting some titles behind their name because they have a completely competent team to do so. They won 98 games last season and are fielding the same roster in 2015. Led by AL MVP Mike Trout, they are ready to make another serious run with or without Hamilton.

Bottom Line: The Yankees need Hamilton, not A-Rod in the lineup

I have faith that a decision like this could be the factor that carries them to a series either this year or next because they have an outstanding team, they just need the drive and perhaps a bold move to get there.