Report: Mariners offered Josh Hamilton 4 years, $100+M

The Seattle Mariners were serious about bringing Josh Hamilton to town. Unfortunately for the club, Hamilton elected to sign with the Los Angeles Angeles on Thursday, giving the Halos a stacked lineup and the tag of favorites in the American League West.

While some fans may be disappointed about the club falling short, the Mariners did everything in their power to land Hamilton. Here is the latest from the News Tribune.

According to sources, they were in all the way. The Mariners offered Hamilton a four-year, $100 million deal with vesting options for a fifth and sixth year. Those options were easily attainable, probably along the lines of 400 to 450 plate appearances, which Hamilton could have gotten in playing about 100 games.

The News Tribune also speculated that the reason the M's didn't guarantee those final years was simply a precaution for injuries or a sudden drop in production.

At the end of the day, that's an awful lot of money for a guy who has had to deal with drug and alcohol abuse throughout his entire career. Hamilton would have immediately provided a boost to the Mariners' lineup, but given his health and durability concerns, this may end up being a deal general manager Jack Zduriencik is glad he didn't make. Now, the Seattle faithful can only hope the 32-year-old star doesn't do too much damage against the M's in the coming years.

Hamilton will first play with the Angels in Seattle on Thursday, April 25.