Astros agree with oft-injured Hampton

Dec 2, 2008 - 12:29 AM BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) -- The Houston Astros are set to bring back one of their former pitchers, oft-injured lefthander Mike Hampton.

According to an ESPN.com report, Hampton and the Astros have agreed to terms on a one-year, $2 million contract plus incentives.

Hampton, 36, pitched for Houston from 1994-1999, posting a career-high 22 wins and finishing second in the National League Cy Young voting in 1999.

He spent the 2000 season with the New York Mets before signing what at the time was the biggest contract in history for a pitcher - an eight-year, $121 million deal with the Colorado Rockies.

The deal turned out to be a disaster, as Hampton went 21-28 with a 5.85 ERA in the thin air before being traded to the Atlanta Braves. He made 60 starts for the Braves in 2003 and 2004 and 12 starts in 2005 before going down with a series of injuries.

He missed the entire 2006 and 2007 seasons with a pair of elbow surgeries and oblique and pectoral strains.

Hampton made his return to the mound in July of 2008 and went 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA in 13 starts.