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Mailbag: Hampton After 2008
Written by Colin on March 11, 2008 – 6:38 pmEric wrote our mailbag recently with the following question:
Since this is the last year of Hampton’s contract, what are the Braves going to do about him in the future? Are we going to let him go or re-sign him (whether its at a huge discount for lost time or whatever)?
Well Eric, I think this depends greatly on what happens this year with Hampton. Being that it’s just preseason, it’s really hard to speculate on something that will take into account primarily factors that have yet to occur. Let’s break down the options, though.
If Hampton heals from his early groin strain and is able to go on to a 12 win season, I think the Braves may re-sign him. I don’t think he’ll make anywhere near the $15 million he’s making this year, but that’d be a fine scenario in everyone’s mind. No, he won’t get another 8 year, $100+ million contract, and I don’t think he would say he deserves one. The Braves don’t sign people to those kind of contracts anyways – they just take advantage of other people who do. Maybe a $3-5 million contract if he shows he can stay healthy all season. The odds for this aren’t good. ESPN’s Jayson Stark wrote recently that the last pitcher 35 years or older who sat out for more than two years and came back to win more than 10 games was Schoolboy Rowe of the 1946 Phillies. And Schoolboy was out for two years while fighting with the Navy in WWII.
The other option here is that the Braves decide they have enough young talent ready to go in Jair Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes, and the other young guys to let Hampton go his own way, even if he has a successful year.
Another possibility here is that Hampton’s injuries linger all year – which is a possibility, no matter how much we don’t want to think about it being a reality. If Hampton goes on and off the DL all year long, I don’t think the Braves will have any interest in re-signing him come the off-season.
It’s not rocket science, I don’t think, Eric. If Hampton shows this year that he’s worth keeping around, the Braves may want him. If he can’t stay healthy, the Braves likely won’t re-sign him. From where I’m standing, I want Hampton healthy all season long and I hope he can come back to contribute some solid innings to the Braves.
In other Hampton news, he’ll pitch a simulated game tomorrow. This should put less strain on him than an outing in a real game. We’ll keep you updated on his condition.
Tags: Mike Hampton
Posted in Mailbag | 2 Comments »
By Jonathan on Mar 13, 2008 | Reply
This is a scary one to me. I think this question can’t truly start to be addressed until the middle of the season this year (if by some stroke of magic, Hampton hasn’t managed to injure himself). When he was healthy, he could throw the ball well. I only say ‘could’ because we really haven’t seen him pitch in a few years. Who knows how he’ll look down the stretch this season. If he has anything less than a stellar year, I wouldn’t look to see him staying around.
By Jonathan on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
This is a scary one to me. I think this question can't truly start to be addressed until the middle of the season this year (if by some stroke of magic, Hampton hasn't managed to injure himself). When he was healthy, he could throw the ball well. I only say 'could' because we really haven't seen him pitch in a few years. Who knows how he'll look down the stretch this season. If he has anything less than a stellar year, I wouldn't look to see him staying around.