After two difficult seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Josh Hamilton is heading back to the Texas Rangers. A USA Today report says that the Angels and Rangers finalized a trade Monday that would send the former American League MVP to the franchise where he enjoyed five All-Star seasons, and briefly broke free from his substance abuse issues.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports wrote that while the agreement was called a "trade," it more resembles an eviction, with the Angels paying most of the $83 million still owed to Hamilton in his five-year $125 million contract. The report emphasizes that Angels owner Arte Moreno technically paid some $118 million for 31 home runs, 123 RBIs and zero postseason hits.

Said Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto, "Over the course of the last few weeks, it became clear that Josh wanted to return to Texas. We were able to complete a trade that in the end is the right decision for everyone involved."

As noted by the USA Today report, the Angels sought to cut the 34-year-old Hamilton loose after he admitted to a drug relapse in February. It was only because of an arbitrator's ruling that his relapse did not violate baseball's joint drug agreement that the MLB did not end up suspending him.

"Going into the season, I hadn't been the player that they wanted me to be. I know I hadn't been, but I worked my butt off to be that guy. This year, going into the season for the Angels, they just didn't want that to happen for some reason. It doesn't hurt my feelings, it doesn't make me mad or anything like that, but I prepared. He knew what the deal was when he signed me, hands down. He knew what he was getting, he knew what the risks were, he knew all those things," Hamilton said during his introductory press conference about Moreno's "disappointment" in him.

Hamilton is slated to begin workouts at the Rangers' spring training complex in Surprise, Arizona.