Astros Sign Mike Hampton

I am very interested to see the terms of this deal!

for the astros sake, i hope he came cheap

I can't imagine the price tag was too steep. It seems like a solid signing for a team in need of some starting pitching. Hampton's not exactly a stud, but, if healthy, he should be at least a decent #4...

nckdmss: Considering that a guy who is a #5 on most clubs was the Astros #2 in 2008 (Wandy Rodriguez), a healthy Hampy is most welcome...

I like this signing a lot for the Astros. He adds stability and he is familiar with Houston. I knew that he was a good fit all along for the Stros and i am happy they made a deal. Should fill in nicely if Mohler doesnt have a season similar to lasts, Backe continues with his inconsistency, or Wolf signs elsewhere.

Maybe they're trying to save money to work out a three-team Peavy deal, using ML-pieces (for the third team) such as Wiggington, Tejada, Bourn, or Pence...

Nice signing houston, he'll fit right along side last years crappy trade for tejada.

What? Why?

Good sign if a highly incentive laden deal. he is one of the better walking wounded and a good bet to out perform some of the others of the injured class like pedro martinez.

One more reason that the Braves need Peavy...

"I like this signing a lot for the Astros. He adds stability and he is familiar with Houston."

Did someone just say Mike Hampton added "stability" to the rotation??

I thought Mike was supposed to wait for the Braves to try and match any offer that was given? At least that was the impression he gave, sort of a respect thing from a team that spent millions on him while he sat. Well, apparently it doesn't look like he did, and if not, so much for loyalty, I guess!

anybody know how good the schools are in Houston??? They must be pretty good considering he signed so quick.

Melonis: Wandy may not be a #5 but he sure isn't a true #2 either, maybe a #4...if he could control his mound presence he has the potential to be a #2 or #3, but he blows up too often for that right now...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3737502

ESPN says its $2 million plus incentives. But, it seems kinda suspicious that he didn't want anything, but a one-year deal, so I beware of this report.

astrosfan76-

Great burn

brian,

i may be wrong but i think Colorado paid the largest majority of his ridiculous contract, so maybe he owes them the most. Yes the braves are the most recent recepient of his medical records but the Rockies have MORE records.

philsWSc..(whatever, booo)

Yeah, you're right, but it goes beyond just the dollars! It's deeper than that, because Bobby Cox, and his teammates rooted for him no matter what! They could have easily just traded him, paid that money they owed him, and told him to not let the door hit him in the ass on the way out, but that didn't happen.

good deal, i guess. if he performs well

I was joking earlier when I said maybe he likes salt water, but, if you think about it, he was healthy and pitched well in Seattle, Houston and New York...all cities near oceans/gulf...

Wolf is injury prone too...

Isn't Wolf a type B too? If there is one thing Houston needs, its draft picks.

Not a bad signing for the Astros

Not a bad pickup...He comes cheap and you gotta expect he's gonna try and perform and his best because he's looking to revamp his career.

Not a bad deal at all. I'm a bit surprised the Braves weren't in on him at all - considering they badly need pitching.

"WOW. I never realized how much the Braves were screwed by him. Ya he's done you wrong. I'd boo him too, but I'm from Philly so I boo everyone."

I'm not laughing at him because I like the Braves... I dislike the Braves. I just laugh at huge contracts that crash and burn.

Good signing for Houston, but I'm with the other braves fans, I hope he strains his big toe and calls it quiets. On the oter hand I think this puts a lot more pressure on Smoltz to come back as a starter, oh yea and add two quality pitchers. If Glavine doesn't retire look for him to be a brave too, which I would rather have one of the young guns.

The appearance incentives probably kick in at about 20 or 25 starts which is worth $4 million he can keep the ERA at a respectable or low place.

"A Peavy trade is still open though. Valverde will definitely be traded and maybe Wigginton. Add the prospects from those deals with Hunter Pence and send them to San Diego for Peavy."

If the Stros need to cut payroll by trading Valverde and Wiggington, how on earth do you think they can afford Peavy?

Brian - You're right, that does piss me off. If Hampton makes a start at the Ted in '09, I'll be the guy behind Houston's dugout yelling obsenities and getting thrown out of the stadium.

Purple: Signing Hampy for $2 mil just freed at least $8 mil for the Astros by not signing Wolf...that $8 mil plus the approx. $17 mil that Wiggy and Valverde will make in arbitration allows the Astros to afford Peavy quite easily...only thing is the prospects that Valverde and Wiggy bring have to be good enough for the Padres...

The only way that this is a "fair deal" is if Hampton pays every cent that he receives(incentives and all) back to the Braves.

Seriously, why?

Peavy or Sheets will be an Astro almost no matter what.

But one thing I don't understand...
WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THE CUBS TRYING TO GET PEAVY FOR!!?
EVERY MAN ON THEIR PITCHING ROTATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN ALL-STAR!!! THEY REALLY PISS ME OFF!!! THEY'RE THE NATIONAL LEAGUE YANKEES!
BASEBALL NEEDS A SALARY CAP AND IF THE PLAYERS DON'T AGREE, THEN THEY CAN SIT THEIR WHINY @$$3$ ON THE COUCH WHILE THE YOUNGSTERS PLAY IT OUT!

Drayton McClane needs to sell the team to someone who can afford to put the best team possible on the field. Apparently, he can't. He's just a rich redneck that wanted to say he owned a baseball team. He hardly knows anything about baseball!
He always says that he tries to put a world series team on the field every year, but he's full of crap. We should have a strike in Minute Maid Park to where everyone walks out int he first game.

Actually, if the Astros trade Wigginton and Valverde to Cleveland as has been talked about some, Andy Marte would be coming to Houston, so that's 3rd base taken care of..Blum and Marte can platoon if Marte's BA stays south of .275...Closer can come from within from the list of Nieve, Paulino, Geary, Wright or Gervacio. RF is the only place the Astros would have to get a FA for or they could use Erstad there...a rule 5 draftee for the OF is a possibility also...the Indians left Jordan Brown off their roster and the Rockies left off Chris Colonel and another outfielder off their roster. Colonel can play 3rd too..Plus, Bogusevic could have a Pence-like spring training and make the team...so there are options out there for the Astros that won't cost them a lot.

i have to think it would be so funny for the braves to trade for peavy and then his arm goes bad and is out for years at tens of millions, would be real funny, never ending cycle of wasted money in atlanta

"Nice signing houston, he'll fit right along side last years crappy trade for tejada."

Yeah because trading multiple pieces of value for an old bum like Tejada who provides no offense or defense, is just exactly the same as signing a once great pitcher to a low risk one year deal.

"I heard that Houston has an amazingly great school system out there"

Not sure if your joking, but HISD's not highly regarded. The burbs, like League City, Sugarland, The Woodlands and Cy-Fair, on the other hand are all very highly regarded. Cy-Fair ISD has one of the sickest Sports Complex I have ever seen for a high school.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=5193

"Yeah because trading multiple pieces of value for an old bum like Tejada who provides no offense or defense, is just exactly the same as signing a once great pitcher to a low risk one year deal."

Who were the multiple pieces of value the Astros gave up? It was numbers, not great talent. The best was projected to be a #3

So the Braves paid how much money for this guy to not pitch, and he turns down a higher offer to leave them? He's a jerk, way to ditch the Braves

no, well kinda. 45 kinda seperates the woodlands and Conroe ISD. A lot of the Woodlands people go to Conroe for ROTC stuff like that.Really the only difference is the money and Conroe being on "the other side of the tracks". They are both pretty comparable as far as academics but Woodlands always OWNS Conroe ISD in sports.could be cause they are 5A or 6A now and Conroe is 4A district. Where you live around Darin?

I was only kidding. Mets fans joke about that all the time. Hampton left for Colorado on an 8 year deal and cited the schools as his number one reason. Colorado paid most of Hamptons contract, not Atl. Hampton owes nothing to anybody but himself and his family.

Getting Tejada was an awful move. He isn't good. Say what you want about the guys you gave up. You talk about how the best guy is a number 3 starter. Why would you give up a cheap number 3 starter on top of Luke Scott and others just to get an overpaid shortstop who is terrible both offensively and defensively? Even Luke Scott alone for Miguel would look pretty bad right now.

"Colorado paid most of Hamptons contract, not Atl."

Actually if you look it up on Cot's Atlanta paid pretty much the same as Colorado, they were completely on the hook for the last 3 years.

"The franchise has deluded itself into thinking they can compete when they clearly need to rebuild."

Definitely won't disagree with you there. But I think the signing comes down to motive. If the Astros really think they got themselves a cheap ace out of the deal... they're joking. If they think they got a cheap #5 starter and brought in at least similar production to the more expensive Wolf, less silly. But yes, if the Astros don't do anything else... they're pushovers for a much more powerful Cubs.

Here's a braves blog on the subject of the perpetualpuss Mike Hampton: http://www.whensidslid.com/

Hampton actually felt "indebted" to the Braves for their patience with him. If that's the case he should have pitched for the Braves for FREE in 2009.

I will be showing up at the TED just to boo this piece of crap....if he ever even makes a start for the Astros next year. BOOOOOOOOO

Mcullogh and College Park are CISD...anyhow i agree totally with you on the above Darin......

Astros fans, you guys still have chances at signing Petitte & Peavy. How bout that for a top 3: Oswalt, Peavy, Pettite. Damn! As a Braves fan, I hope that doesn't happen though. I do think you guys could have the prospects + Pence, but Escobar, MLB ready pitchers + prospects from the Braves still seems like a superior package to anything else I've heard. Personally I've had it with Towers, but luckily I'm not the one who has to deal with him.

For the people talking about CISD. It consists of Oak Ridge, The Woodlands, The Woodlands College Park, and Conroe High (I am a graduate of there). As well as 4A Caney Creek.

nrmax88- The reason Scott was included in there is because he had no spot in the Astros OF when we got Bourn. Bourn didn't work out too well this season, but he still was out of a spot and is too good a player to be a 4th outfielder. Scott is a good player, but I still wouldn't want him back for Tejada. I still like the trade. I am good friends with Patton and was sad to see him go, but he was the cornerstone of the deal. Albers was way to up and down. I liked Sarfante for the month that we had him, but there was a reason that MIL let him go. Tejada was such an upgrade over Adam Everett most people would still make that trade. He doesn't give you the D that Everett does(should have had multiple GGs), but he makes up for it on the offensive end. Granted there are much better SS, but I am perfectly fine with Tejada. The Astro fans that are upset over that trade are looking at it from the standpoint that they were they were going to get the same player that drove in over 100 year in year out for the O's and the A's.