Trade-happy Marlins ship Hampton to Braves for Spooneybarger

MIAMI (AP) -- Mike Hampton's stay with the Florida Marlins was brief.
A whirlwind weekend sent the left-hander from Colorado to Florida and then to the Atlanta Braves, where he'll try to rejuvenate his career.
The Marlins will get reliever Tim Spooneybarger from the Braves for Hampton, a baseball source said on condition of anonymity Sunday. The source said details must be finalized, the trade must be approved by the commissioner's office, and the players must pass physicals.
Florida will also reportedly receive an unidentified minor leaguer from Atlanta.
Hampton, 21-28 for the Rockies the past two seasons, was part of a six-player swap between Colorado and Florida completed Saturday.
In that deal, Hampton and outfielder Juan Pierre moved to the Marlins, while catcher Charles Johnson, outfielder Preston Wilson, left-handed reliever Vic Darensbourg and second base prospect Pablo Ozuna went to the Rockies.
Money matters
Florida reportedly agreed to pay about $38 million of the salary remaining on Hampton's lucrative contract. The Braves tried to sign Hampton two years ago before the Rockies gave him an eight-year, $121 million free-agent deal -- the richest ever for a pitcher.
The Rockies will pay $11 million of Hampton's remaining salary, plus a $19 million deferred signing bonus. The Braves will owe Hampton about $35.5 million over the next six years.
The acquisition of Hampton may end the Braves' interest in re-signing free-agent lefty Tom Glavine, who has spent his entire 16-year career in Atlanta. The Braves could also decide not to sign free-agent right-hander Greg Maddux.
On Sunday, Glavine attended an NHL game at Philips Arena, where he has a private box. He declined comment on what the trade might mean for his future with the Braves.
Poor pitching
Like many previous pitchers, Hampton was a bust in Denver's thin air. After a 9-2 start with Colorado in 2001, Hampton went 12-26 with a 6.62 ERA for the Rockies. The 30-year-old left-hander was 7-15 this year with a 6.15 ERA, the highest in the major leagues among pitchers who qualified for the ERA title.
For the Marlins, the trade means they'll can keep their core of young players intact and still meet next season's projected payroll limit of $47 million. They have 12 arbitration-eligible players, including second baseman Luis Castillo and first baseman Derrek Lee.
Despite paying a large part of Hampton's salary, the cost-conscious Marlins will save money by making the trade. That's because Johnson and Wilson both have three years remaining on their contracts, with Johnson owed $25 million and Wilson owed $27.5 million.
In Castillo and Pierre, the Marlins would have baseball's top base stealers at the top of the lineup.