On Monday, December 1, injury prone lefty Mike Hampton agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Astros worth $2 million plus incentives, rejoining the only rotation in which he has been successful and healthy in his 14-year career.
Cubs fans, rejoice.
The Astros might be looking to add depth to a pitching staff that could see some addition by subtraction if they get back into the Jake Peavy talks. But the Astros have seen Brandon Backe and Roy Oswalt, the top of their rotation, have significant injury issues of their own the past couple years. Adding Hampton, no matter the cost, is a questionable move.
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What Hampton brings to the table for Houston is a known face and an unearned fat wallet. The Bob Hope-looking left-hander missed all but a handful of starts the past two seasons in Atlanta after signing a huge contract to join the Braves out of free agency.
While Cubs fans can appreciate a general manager taking a chance on an injured starter (Ryan Dempster?), Hampton has been the golden handcuffs to each of the past two organizations he's pitched for (Colorado and Atlanta). While $2 million certainly won't break the Astros' payroll, it does add a huge question mark to their rotation before the winter meetings begin.
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about 1 month ago
I totally agree with you. Plus hampton was good when he was pitching in one of the best parks for pitchers, the Astrodome, when he was with Houston from 95 till 99. Minute Maid is going to eat him up.
about 1 month ago
I do not agree with your view on this signing. I think it is a low risk deal that could pay off for houston. However, if they don't sign another pitcher, this trade is going to be meaningless for now.
from about 1 month ago
What's low risk about spending $2M on a guy that's guaranteed a spot on the 25 man roster when you're a team that struggled to not finish in last place in the entire NL last year? Of all the ways the Astros could have spent money, this was a huge question mark.
about 1 month ago
Hampton is a low impact signing. This isn't something they did to add a star pitcher to the rotation; it's a move to add a 5th guy in the rotation that is better than the other options we have.
from about 1 month ago
Exactly. It's not like he is our number 2 guy. It's low risk because it's a one year deal and it could pay off, if it doesn't it's not that big of a deal. Our rotation won't be any worse than it was at the begining of last year.
about 1 month ago
If hampton is Houston's number 2-> Houston: The Astros have a problem. The Hampton signing should be seen as a cheaper version of Wolf. I bet Wolf wanted a larger contract than what the 'stros wanted to give him. Either way the astros were going to be taking a risk on an injury prone lefty. Funny the astros signed the pitcher who turns out to be about three million cheaper. Pretty smart if you ask me.
from about 1 month ago
Except Wolf is probably good for 12 wins, while Hampton might be good for 12 starts
about 1 month ago
ood point TAB. But still it's a risk either way. Wolf and his recent history isn't exactly a great prospect either. But from a business standpoint, putting up a minimum of 2 million with incentives for a presumably healthy 'Hampton' rather than signing Wolf for 5 million plus incentives for the same output seems reasonable. If all fails they'll just fall back on their farm system... O wait. Nevermind that's another story.
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