Josh Hamilton

According to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton was spotted drinking alcohol on Monday night at a bar in the DFW area.

What he drink and how much is currently unclear. Hamilton, a recovering addict, is supposed to remain completely sober as part of a pledge he’s made to his family and the Rangers organization. A Rangers spokesman said in a statement to the Dallas Morning News that the team is “aware of a situation” but not ready to make a comment.

According to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com, the Rangers and manager Ron Washington have agreed to a two-year contract extension.

The new deal will carry him through the 2014 season. The extension is well-deserved, as Washington owns a 427-383 record (.527) over his first five seasons at the helm in Texas, including back-to-back American League pennants.

General manager Jon Daniels confirmed that the Rangers would like a long-term contract for Josh Hamilton to be finalized by the start of the regular season.

”We don’t want it to be a distraction,” Daniels said. ”We both agree, ‘Hey let’s do it right up until we report and after that let’s put it aside.” With Prince Fielder off the market, the Rangers front office is looking to get a long-term deal done with Hamilton, who is in the final year of a two-year, 24 million contract and is set to hit free agency after the 2012 season.

Josh Hamilton (sports hernia surgery) said Monday that he expects to be on schedule for the start of spring training in February.

Hamilton underwent surgery in November to repair a sports hernia, but said Monday that everything feels good while running, swinging the bat and throwing. He’s also been squatting weight and doing agility exercises. The 30-year-old is set to earn $13.75 million in 2012 before hitting free agency. He has expressed interest in a contract extension, but plans to cut off talks with the Rangers if no progress is made by spring training.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram thinks that if the Rangers went after Prince Fielder, it likely would mean no long-term extension for Josh Hamilton.

Wilson writes that the Rangers “might not be deciding between (Yu) Darvish and Fielder” but rather “which left-handed slugger they’d rather have — Fielder or Hamilton.” Hamilton is currently set to hit free agency following the 2012 season, but the outfielder and the team have both indicated a desire to hammer out a long-term extension before Opening Day. Perhaps, though, the Rangers might wind up deciding they’d rather have both Hamilton and Fielder for 2012 and the latter over the long haul.