Angels, Rangers nearing trade for Josh Hamilton
— -- The Texas Rangers are nearing a trade with the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Josh Hamilton, according to MLB.com.
Sources confirmed to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that the Angels were close to trading the outfielder.
Hamilton has not appeared for the Angels this season. He is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and self-reported a substance-abuse relapse to Major League Baseball in February.
The Angels owed Hamilton $83 million for the final three seasons of a five-year, $125 million contract after he signed after playing for Texas from 2008 to 2012.
Angels owner Arte Moreno had said Hamilton's contract contained language protecting the team against a relapse by the outfielder. The Major League Baseball Players Association denied Moreno's assertion.
Hamilton was not disciplined by MLB for his relapse. A four-person treatment board created by baseball's joint drug program with the union tied 2-2 in a vote on whether Hamilton should be disciplined. An arbitrator appointed to break the tie ruled that he would not be punished.
Last week, Hamilton met with Angels manager Mike Scioscia for the first time in months.
The 2010 American League MVP is a career .292 hitter with 192 home runs and 676 RBIs.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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