Angels sign Josh Hamilton to five-year deal

The Los Angeles Angels have reached a five-year, $125 million agreement with free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton, reports ESPN Dallas.

Entering the offseason Hamilton was reportedly seeking a six- or seven-year contract with an average annual salary in the range of $25 million. However, teams were initially wary of extending that type of offer to the slugger.

While his talent certainly warrants a long-term, high-salaried commitment, there are questions surrounding Hamilton given his past issues with injuries and substance abuse. This resulted in teams reportedly being unwilling to go beyond three or four years for the outfielder.

The Angels were big spenders last winter, when they added free agent first baseman Albert Pujols and starting pitcher C.J. Wilson, and they appeared poised to do the same this offseason. However, Los Angeles missed out on Zack Greinke, who was reportedly their top target, to the Dodgers.

While the Angels weren't able to add a clear-cut ace to their rotation, they did manage to acquire Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton. With Greinke off the market, LA decided to go after the top free agent bat available in Hamilton.

Now that Hamilton is on board, the Angels next move could be trading an outfielder such as Mark Trumbo or Peter Bourjos to fill another area of need.

Last season with the Texas Rangers Hamilton hit .285/.354/.577 with 31 doubles, two triples and 43 home runs over 562 at-bats. The 31-year-old owns a career line of .304/.363/.549 over six years at the major league level.