Rangers will not offer Josh Hamilton preemptive deal

The Texas Rangers will not make an offer to outfielder Josh Hamilton during their exclusive window to negotiate with the slugger, choosing instead to let him test the market before making any sort of offer, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com:

The Rangers aren’t closing the door on negotiations with Hamilton, but are preparing for the possibility that Josh Hamilton will not be returning to the Rangers, according to [general manager] Jon Daniels.

The 31-year-old Hamilton has stated in recent weeks that he will give the Rangers the chance to match any offer he receives on the open market, essentially meaning that any preemptive move Texas might make would likely fall on deaf ears.

If the Rangers do decide to make an offer for Hamilton once he has hit the free agent market, owner Nolan Ryan has said the club will look at Hamilton's 2012 season in its entirety -- not just his disappointing last few weeks -- in making their decision.

Hamilton remains one of the biggest enigmas this offseason in terms of what kind of deal he will end up getting. The outfielder has provided great productivity to the Rangers the last five years, but various off the field issues will likely make teams cautious in dealing with Hamilton.