Quick hits: Hamilton addresses pictures

– Josh Hamilton admitted taking part in some provocative pictures, first unearthed by Deadspin on Saturday:

“I
went to get something to eat. Obviously, I eat at restaurants that have
bars in them all the time. I wasn’t mentally fit to go in there,
spiritually fit, and it just crossed my mind, ‘Can I have a drink?’
Obviously, I can’t.”

While Hamilton admits to being drunk
in the photos, he did not fail a drug test, so he is not in violation
of the policy that allowed him to return to Major League Baseball.

– It appears that the White Sox are the most likely team
who put in a claim on Alex Rios. White Sox or not, the Blue Jays now
have until Tuesday to decide if they will let Rios go for nothing, work
out a trade or pull him back. Rios, who still has six years left on his
seven-year, $69.35 million contract, is batting .263/.316/.428 with 14
homers and 62 RBI (this includes his two-run homer against the Orioles
on Saturday).

– Speaking of waivers, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus did a fine job of explaining the process for the layman.

The White Sox have reportedly picked up first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Indians, according to Stadium. The return for Alonso is expected to be nothing more flashy than a “fringe prospect,” though the minutiae of the deal is still pending a formal announcement from both teams.

Alonso, 31, inked a two-year deal with the Indians during the 2017 offseason. His first campaign with the club yielded a modest .250/.317/.421 batting line, 23 home runs, .738 OPS and 0.7 fWAR in 574 PA. The real boon for the White Sox may not be a passable veteran bat, however, but something more intangible — like Alonso’s clout with his brother-in-law and highly-coveted free agent slugger, Manny Machado.

While Alonso’s 2018 output represented a significant decline from the career-best numbers he posted in 2017, he’s still a solid contributor at the plate and, more importantly, slated to remain under team control for the next two years with just $8 million owed in 2019 and a $9 million option in 2020. As MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince notes, the $17 million the Indians just erased from their payroll should give them enough room to accommodate the contracts for right-handers Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber — a bonus regardless of what they happen to get in the trade.