Sox' interest in Hamilton capped at 3 years

According to an industry source, the Red Sox did have interest in the possibility of acquiring free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton, but the team's interest was limited to the idea of getting the 31-year-old free agent on a deal of three years or fewer. The Sox were not interested in competing with the length of term offered by the Angels, who reportedly reached an agreement with Hamilton on a five-year, $125 million deal on Thursday afternoon. 

Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, hit .285 with a .354 OBP, .577 slugging mark, .930 OPS and a career-high 43 homers for the Rangers in 2012. In his six-year big league career, the top overall pick in the 1999 draft has hit .304/.363/.549/.913 with 161 homers while averaging 123 games per year.

His AL West defection from the Rangers to the Angels represents an impactful shift for 2013, although with the Halos committing to Hamilton between ages 32-36, along with the remaining nine years on the contract of first baseman Albert Pujols, the Angels have committed considerable resources to a pair of players who are in the post-prime phases of their careers. Even so, the idea of a lineup loaded with Mike Trout, Hamilton, Pujols and Mike Trumbo will likely terrify plenty of opposing pitchers.

The Sox talked with Hamilton throughout the offseason, with GM Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell having met Hamilton and his agent, Mike Moye, during last week's winter meetings in Nashville. However, the Sox' tolerance for the risks of a deal of longer than a few years was always in question. For a look at the risks associated with commitments of more than three years with Hamilton, click here [1].

For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [2].