http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/7/3740450/mlb-trade-rumors-josh-hamilton
Josh/meth Hamilton rumors: Slugger holding out for six- or seven-year deal.
As the article indicates, very few ballclubs, if any, would be willing to risk signing him to that long of a contract, much "less" the annual 20+MM $$$ salary that Hamilton is seeking to go with it, IMO, b/c of his prior substance abuse issues, injury history, and perhaps last season's roller coaster performance on offense and to a somewhat lesser degree, defense.
I would think that the Yankees or Red Sox, besides the Rangers, would be his most likely suitors, prior to last couple of years, but the Red Sox have been burned badly by players of Josh's "ilk" recently, and rid themselves of most by trade to the Dodgers, who have become the Yankees of the West Coast after their lucrative TV broadcast billions deal.
The Yankees are hard to gauge b/c it appears that the ballclub is right on the verge of potentially falling out of contention in the extremely competitive AL East for much if not most of next season, due to injuries, under-performing/declining vets, holes on offense/defense that would need to be otherwise plugged with "internal" options...absent trades or FA signings, and an aging roster.
The pressure must be building in NY to attempt to field a genuine contender (or not) next season, due to their stated desire to get under the luxury cap by '14, which might not be feasable by signing pricey FAs long-term or trading for legit/established all-star types. The Yankees of course, have a newer stadium and they need to strongly contend all season in order to coax Yankees fans' butts into filling their vastly overpriced seats. To sign or not to sign Hamilton is likely perplexing their brass, and even if the Yankees would, he is a huge gamble, since he could soon turn into another ARod type but in the OF, with another millstone of a MM$$ long-term contract.
If the Yankees want to reign atop the AL East again, they might need to sign another SP such as EJax, or Sanchez, as well as veteran positional players such as Pierzynki, Youkilis, and Hamilton. Obtaining a quality SS by trade might also become necessary IF Jeter is found to be physically unable to play the position by the start of next season, despite his claims to the contrary, this while still wearing a walking boot to protect his fractured ankle. Expecting Sabathia, Pettitte, Kuroda, Hughes, and Nova et. al to pitch as well if not better than last season might be unrealistic. Pineda is a big ? after being on the DL all of last season and while recovering from shoulder surgery, he might not be ready to take the mound until sometime after the ASB next season.
