Braves-Marlins Trade

[rcartman28]

I think Atlanta got a pretty good deal for Hampton, since it'll average out to about $8 million a seaon for him and giving them a decent shot at Glavine. I'm waiting to see who blinks first in the Maddux sweepstakes.

I'm just wondering, with Florida or Colorado paying part of Hampton's contract, how does this work for "salary cap" purposes next year. Does Atlanta get charged for $2 million for Hampton (what they actually paying him) or for $11 million (or whatever the actual value of his contract is)?????

[JamesI]

I have to amend my view of this trade. Good move for Atlanta based on salary. Can't believe Florida is paying $30 of his salary.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Originally posted by JamesI
I have to amend my view of this trade. Good move for Atlanta based on salary. Can't believe Florida is paying $30 of his salary.

I basically agree with this. IMO, I do not think that the Braves should re-sign Greg Maddux; they would be better off resigning Glavine, only, and going after help at their other holes.

Maddux has been a great pitcher, but he has more mileage on him than Glavine, and is definitely, IMO, into the decline phase of his career. He's a bad investment, due to age, and nagging injuries that have a way of accelerating in intensity at Maddux's age.

Bill James would say of Maddux' career that it is like a watermelon.
The Cubs paid for Maddux's training and his initial stardom; they got the first bites. Some other team will pay ransom to Scott Boras at premium prices to eat the portion of watermelon near the rind of Maddux's career; it's limited, and not as tasty. The Atlanta Braves have been the big winners in all of this; they ate the heart; the best part, almost every single bite of it, out of Maddux's career. As a Brave, Maddux became, and remained for a period of years, the best pitcher in baseball, probably from 1992-96. He's been a big winner on a team that wins by pitching. He began to slip from being a great pitcher to a good one this year. He'll slip more this year. He's one major injury away from retirement; he's one chronic, nagging injury away from being a #3 starter, at best.

The Braves would do better to import Frank Thomas and let Maddux go. He fills a hole, and Chicago is looking to dump. (I personally think Thomas has more left than Maddux, and you can't win a pennant with guys who aren't even as good as Snow and Spiezio. Maddux, unless he reverts to Cy Young Award form, which I don't believe he will, is going to be the most overpaid player in baseball in a year, or two (at the latest).

In fact, I'll make this predicton now: Mike Hampton will be the equal of Greg Maddux over the next 3 years.

[Sadaharu Oh]

Originally posted by JamesI
I have to amend my view of this trade. Good move for Atlanta based on salary. Can't believe Florida is paying $30 of his salary.

Well, they still save 23 million bucks over time and field no worse a team with Pierre/Redmond/Castro replacing Wilson/Johnson. So it seems to make sense from their angle too. All angles, I suppose.

[gyb13]

like smed said, this could be a rare everybody-wins type of trade. COL and FLA shed some payroll. COL improves at CF and C, FLA has youngsters ready to take over. ATL gets another interesting project for Mazzone. Hampton's mechanics were completely screwed up at Coors (which I believe may have translated to affecting his road stats too) - his timing was inconsistent, his release point was all over the place, his curve and sinker weren't breaking.....they need to restore his mechanics and his mind, and if they succeed, there is huge upside to the deal.