Earlier Thursday morning Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reported that a deal between free agent slugger Josh Hamilton and the Seattle Mariners was getting “very close”.
I’m now told the talks between the two sides have been a lot more serious than anyone has let on and that they are actually “very close” to getting a deal done.
However later on in the morning, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale spoke with Mariners president Chuck Armstrong who stated that his team was not close to signing Hamilton.
Of course though this could be total smoke and mirrors by Armstrong but I’ll guess we’ll just have to see.
Baker though further adds that any potential deal for Hamilton is held up by Zack Greinke.
How?
The Rangers appear to be in on Greinke and have the opportunity to match any deal for Hamilton. If Greinke signs elsewhere then there’s a good chance that the Rangers match an offer for Hamilton. However if the Rangers get Greinke it’s assumed that there will be no money left over to bring back Hamilton.
h/t: NBC Sports, USA Today, Seattle Times