
Josh Hamilton was still under contract with the Los Angeles Angels as of last weekend, but it sounds like he has felt like a free agent for quite some time.
On Tuesday, Hamilton told reporters that he sent the Texas Rangers a video of himself hitting back in March.
Josh Hamilton said that he sent video of him hitting in Houston to the #Rangers way back on March 9.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilson_FWST) April 28, 2015
That would have been while Hamilton was rehabbing from a shoulder injury and several weeks after he reportedly confessed to a drug relapse, so it sounds like he knew he had played his last game with the Angels. Considering the Angels were open about looking for a way to void Hamilton’s contract, that should not come as a surprise.
While some have wondered if Hamilton sending video to the Rangers constitutes tampering, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that there was nothing said about Texas requesting the video, nor would the Angels care if they badly wanted to get rid of Hamilton. He was probably doing himself and the team a favor.
Hamilton has expressed very little remorse over the way his tenure with the Angels ended. Despite the fact that he allegedly did cocaine at a strip club back in February, the 33-year-old slugger has stopped short of issuing an apology.