The Los Angeles Angels appear poised to try to rid themselves of Josh Hamilton and the $90 million remaining on his contract.
Despite an arbitrator's ruling last week that Hamilton didn't violate the terms of his drug treatment program following a substance-abuse relapse, Angels owner Arte Moreno said Friday that the team has separate language in Hamilton's contract regarding drug and alcohol use.
"It's not about money, nothing about money," Moreno told reporters. "In our contract, there's language that he signed and that his agent approved that said he cannot drink and use drugs. So, we have specific language in the agreement. We have a couple other players who have the same language."
Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said at the time of the arbitrator's ruling that the team has serious concerns regarding Hamilton's health, conduct and behavior. And when Moreno was asked Friday if he envisions the slugger playing another game for the Angels, he responded: "I will not say that."
"I think more than anything, we look at accountability - with all of our players," Moreno said. "I think that's probably the biggest word here. We understand that he's had struggles, and obviously he's still having struggles, but the reality is there's accountability. When you make an agreement, you need to stand up."
Commissioner Rob Manfred did not believe the Angels handled themselves inappropriately when voicing their disappointment with the arbitrator's decision, and said Thursday he thinks that both sides will be able to reconcile.
Hamilton admitted to league officials in February that he suffered a relapse involving alcohol and cocaine.
The Major League Baseball Players Association released a statement following Moreno's comments on Friday, stating that clubs do not have the power to write such provisions into player's contracts.
The MLBPA emphatically denies Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno's assertions from earlier today that the Angels had requested and received the approval of the Union to insert language into Josh Hamilton's contract that would supersede the provisions of the Joint Drug Agreement and/or the Basic Agreement. To the contrary, the collectively bargained provisions of the JDA and the Basic Agreement supersede all other player contract provisions and explicitly prevent Clubs from exactly the type of action Mr. Moreno alluded to in his press comments today.
The 33-year-old, who agreed to a five-year, $125-million deal in 2012, has hit a disappointing .255/.316/.426 with 31 home runs in 240 games with the Angels.
"When we started talking to him, we went through his history," Moreno said. "We felt it was important for us to have language in our agreement."