Report: Angels willing to retain $68 million in salary to deal Hamilton to Rangers

Josh Hamilton's tumultuous tenure with the Los Angeles Angels is reportedly coming to an end.

Though Hamilton still has three years and roughly $80.3 million remaining on his contract, the Angels are reportedly close to trading Hamilton back to the Texas Rangers, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Plenty of paperwork remains, but a deal could be announced Monday and the Angels might be on the hook for more than 80 percent of the money still owed to Hamilton.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported Saturday that the Angels are willing to take on roughly $68 million of Hamilton's remaining deal. Grant also notes that Hamilton will sacrifice $6 million due to the lack of state income tax, leaving the Rangers on the hook for less than $7 million. Hamilton will also be given an opt-out clause after two years. 

Hamilton's future in Los Angeles grew increasingly uncertain this winter after the 33-year-old - whose addiction problems have been extremely well-documented - admitted to a substance-abuse relapse.

His recent indiscretion and a decline in performance marred his tenure with the Angels, but Hamilton enjoyed five phenomenal years with Texas earlier in his career. The former first overall pick earned an All-Star berth in each of his five seasons with the Rangers, managing a .912 OPS over that span while claiming the American League MVP award in 2010.

Several prominent members of the Angels' front office, though, seemed eager to rid themselves of Hamilton when an arbitrator determined that the outfielder could not be punished by Major League Baseball for his recent relapse involving alcohol and cocaine. Angels owner Arte Moreno indicated earlier this month, however, that Hamilton violated the terms of his five-year, $125 million contract by using drugs and alcohol.

"The Angels have serious concerns about Josh’s conduct, health and behavior and we are disappointed that he has broken an important commitment which he made to himself, his family, his teammates and our fans," general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

Hamilton is currently rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, though teammate David Freese remarked after meeting with him earlier this month that he's "ready to roll."

Since joining the Angels prior to the 2013 campaign, Hamilton has battled both injuries and decline, hitting just .255/.316/.426 (110 OPS+) over 240 games in Los Angeles. Hamilton appeared in only 89 games last season, tying a career-low, and went 0-for-13 with a pair of strikeouts in his team's ALDS loss to the Kansas City Royals.