They were not alone. When I heard that the Cubs (Tim Wilken) had taken Hamilton in the Rule V Draft, it occured to me that the Rays might regret that move. Then when the turned around and sold Hamilton to the Reds for cash, I thought that it was all much ado about nothing.

Last time I checked, Tim Wilken (who knew Josh as well as anyone) was a pretty sharp guy.

I hope the fans give him a big hand tonight. Then move along.

Another question to ask is…if the Rays had kept Hamilton (and I realize he may still be in the minors had that happened) would he not have at least some trade value? The Rays got nothing for their investment.

which is only a bad one in hindsight. At the time, it could be argued that it was still the wrong move simply because there was room on the 40 man roster for him, but otherwise, it was entirely justified given his performance, his fragility and the unlikely circumstance that any major league club would keep him on the roster for a full year. In fact, I would have thought that Hamilton would not want that as he was obviously not ready for the majors and would have his progress retarded by losing playing time and developmental opportunities a full year at AA or AAA would have provided.

Were it not for Friedman, he probably would still be banned from the game. Andy worked overtime to get his ban lifted, and his rehabilitation and mentoring in place.

At the time he was allowed to go, he had no trade value and no potential trade value. It would be tantamount to blaming the Rays if Dewon Brazleton or Mike Kelly should suddenly emerge as a success somewhere, even more foolish as neither was burdened with the drug problem.

In any case, every team has a case of missed opportunity. Two teams released Johann Santana; Minnesota released David Ortiz; the Dodgers gave up Pedro Martinez and Montreal got rid of Randy Johnson. And on and on and on.

It was the wrong move because there seemed no downside to protecting him (unless Jacob is right which is entirely possible), but it was entirely reasonable to take the risk of losing him at that time. No point in labeling a blunder or a stain. It was neither.

Clearly it was a mistake. We let a possible AL MVP go for nothing. That is a mistake. Now it is impossible to say what would have happened if we kept him. Would Josh be as good as he is now? Impossible to tell. Where would Upton be playing? What would have happened to Delmon? There are so many things that would have happened differently if we kept Hamilton that it is just a waste of time to speculate. But clearly we let a talent get away for nothing.

Why are their so many Friedman apologists with their head’s stuck in the sand, more worried about defending our mostly flawless GM than giving the appropriate amount of criticism that is most definitely due to him?

FACT: The current and former DRO were working for years to a) get this guy clean, and b) get him off suspensions from MLB

FACT: by Fall 2006 he had not failed a drug test in a long time.

FACT: Hamilton was NOT suspended by MLB at the time he left us.

FACT: Hamilton was in our minor league system playing baseball again

FACT: Damon Hollins was released from the 40 man roster 1 day after Hamilton was let go. If we knew Hollins had no place with this team, why not simply RELEASE HOLLINS 1 DAY EARLIER and protect Hamilton? I have yet to hear one good reason for this FACT that is NEVER brought up when the apologists are telling you how he was suspended for years, on drugs for years, still hadnt played above A ball yada yada yada—none of which answer the question why he was let go, when he was let go

If we release Hamilton 2 years earlier, I have no problem with it. I have a problem with sticking by his side and seeing him progress in life and with baseball for the first time in years, then letting him go for no compensation and really for no purpose, only to continue down the path WE SAW HE WAS ON and become what everyone knew he was capable of.

we knew of his upside and we let him go for nothing, for no reason.

using “hindsight is 20/20” is a BS excuse when you consider ^^^that fact

we mad ethe choice to stick by his side for 3-4 years while he was on drugs, so when we let him go while he is off drugs you are no longer aloud to say “yea, but he was on drugs hindsight is 20/20 you cant blame us for letting him leave”

We didnt let him leave because of his drug problem. That is such a complete BS excuse and I hate hearing people make excuses for Friedman in this situation

I thinnk he is one of the best “GMs” in baseball, but what kind of fan doesnt hold a GM accoutable? Some of you guys sound like you are trying to bail your kid out of trouble. Dont worry, its OK to acknowledge the rare mistake. That doesn tmean we are folding back into the Lamar/Naimoli era all of a sudden

The whole “well the Cubs traded him also” excuse is the worst one Ive heard

Guess what? The cubs didnt draft Hamilton in 1999. Hamilton wasnt a part of the Chicago organization from 1999-2006. Do you honestly hold them to the same standards you do as the Rays FO, who watched the kid grow up here? How could you possibly expect the Cubs to have as good an understanding of what type of player Hamilton could be, and also have any idea what was going on thhe past 4 years while he was on drugs. The Rays barely knew what was going on with him AND HE WAS PART OF OUR ORGANIZATION

PLUS, the Cubs TRADED him. They atleast got SOMETHING for him. And they wouldve been forced to hold thsi guy on their 25 man roster, we had to keep him on our 40 man roster

Is this a valid argument in anyway? Nope, but neitehr are nay of the otehr arguments against Hamilton

Its just good to see rj not trashing the guy as a human being over the internet anymore, out of rage for making the FO look bad. That was pretty pathetic

Nobody is defending Friedman. He has said it was a mistake. I agree, and thought it was before Hamilton was selected by the Cubs. But the reason it was a mistake is not because Hamilton was a real prospect any more or because he was likely to be taken in the rule V. It was simply because there was room on the 40 man, and despite his failures I still do not understand why he wasn’t protected.

But, and this is my point, it was a defensible decision to risk losing him in light of the circumstances at that time. Here is his playing record prior to 2007 when he was 26:

Age 20: AA; 89 ABs; .180/.221/.236; 0 HRs; 5 BBs; 22 Ks
Age 21: A+; 211 ABs; .303/.359/.507; 9 HRs
Age 22: Did not play
Age 23: Did not play
Age 24: Did not play
Age 25: Rookie League; 50 ABs; .260/.327/.360; 0 HRs; Hurt most of year

Those are also facts. And another fact is that any team that drafted him would have to keep him on a major league roster all year. He would take up space that another useful player might have, and he would be getting rare appearances after not playing for substantially 4 full years due to a combination of drug suspensions and injuries, including an injury in his last season.

Yes, his record at A+ ball 5 years earlier indicated he was talented, but there was nothing in his rookie ball performance as a 25 year old to suggest he was a budding star. It simply suggested that he remained an injury risk and that his skills had eroded. He had never done well above A ball and was now 26 years old. What team would take up precious space on the 25 man roster when there are essentially only 3 spots available for reserves?

None of this is intended to trash Hamilton. None of it is intended to excuse the error itself. It was either a careless error or an unnecessary risk. But it was not a stain or a blunder or anything of the sort. Perhaps Jacob is right that Hamilton needed to get out of this organization. If so, the mistake is even less egregious. But either way, it was simply a mistake, and while I think it wrong to boo Josh or smear him, it is equally wrong to dwell on Friedman’s misstep.

Perhaps to get some perspective, suppose Mark Prior recovers and once again becomes a Cy Young worthy pitcher? After all, he really did succeed at the highest level. Should fans pillory the Cubs for letting such extraordinary talent get away? I haven’t checked their roster, but I am sure they could have stashed him away on it for the $1 million he is getting from the Padres after Chicago non-tendered him.

Just to make clear, I am not trashing Hamilton. While I do not get particularly misty about his recovery I recognize it is a remarkable story and admire what he has accomplished. I am sorry he is not doing this for the Rays, but do not begrudge him his success. As far as I am concerned that is all there is to it, and to use the incident as a harpoon against the Rays front office is utter foolishness and a misreading of the situation at the time.