Angels' Wilson questions ownership's goals in Hamilton comments
While Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno isn't going to bat for slugger Josh Hamilton, one of his teammates is.
"It doesn't seem like any bridges are being built — it seems like a fairly contentious situation," Wilson told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
"It's definitely at a level right now. No one is talking to us about it. We're supposed to stay out of the loop. But it's fairly obvious what their intentions are."
Despite an arbitrator ruling last week that Hamilton didn't violate the terms of his drug treatment program following a substance-abuse relapse, Moreno said Friday that the team has separate language in Hamilton's contract regarding drug and alcohol use.
Wilson questioned his owner's decision to publicly say that the team might pursue action against Hamilton.
"I don't know what their goals in this situation are," Wilson told Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register. "They have goals. They have reactions, they have feelings, all that stuff."
Hamilton's relationship with Wilson extends beyond the last two years they've spent together in Los Angeles as the pair played four seasons with the Texas Rangers.
"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."
Following Moreno's comments, the Major League Baseball Players Association denied that the Angels had requested, or received approval to insert language into Hamilton's contract that would allow them to seek action should he relapse.
Rather than try to dump Hamilton and the remaining $90 million on his contract, Wilson suggested that the team's focus should be on trying to treat Hamilton's illness.
"We need to figure out collectively as teammates what's going to make Josh play the best," Wilson said. "If he plays up to his abilities, he's as good as anyone else who's ever going to step onto the diamond against him."