(Joe Nicholson/USA Today Sports)
Now that Josh Hamilton is with the Los Angeles Angels, it could be an interesting season for the Texas Rangers as they’ll need all of the help they can get if there’s any chance of them returning to the postseason. The loss of Hamilton hurts, but the Rangers have to feel good about locking up one of their top pitchers in Matt Harrison over the next five years.
Harrison agreed to a five-year, $55 million deal with the Rangers and the pitcher is expected to fall into the No. 2 spot behind Yu Darvish–who is coming off an impressive first season with Texas as well. The 27-year-old Harrison is coming off his best season in the majors after recording an 18-11 record to go along with a 3.29 ERA and Texas hopes to see those numbers improve even more heading into 2013.
There’s no question this was a solid move by the Rangers, considering they see the potential with Harrison over the next couple of years, and the last thing they want to do is risk losing him down the road. Harrison clearly stood out through most of the 2012 season, and now that he’s receiving a hefty raise from the organization. It should be interesting to see how well it pays off for the Rangers with the start of the regular season right around the corner.
With the type of rotation they have, there’s no question Texas has the chance to be one of the top teams in the American League once again–even if Hamilton is no longer with the team.
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