"During the Rangers' courtship of former free agent Prince Fielder , it seemed like Josh Hamilton's future with the club was hanging in the balance. Fielder and Hamilton were almost certainly mutually exclusive options, meaning if Texas ponied up the cash for Fielder, they'd have to let Hamilton walk in free agency next year to avoid drowning the club in payroll commitments.

But even now that Fielder is off the market -- after signing a nine-year, $214-million contract with the Tigers on Tuesday -- the decision on whether or not to extend Hamilton's contract hasn't been made any easier for Texas, writes Sports Illustrated's Albert Chen."