A 28 year-old southpaw pitcher. Known as an innings eater. Will strikeout about 150 batters per season. Mid three ERA. Gives managers about 25 quality starts per season. Postseason pedigree, coming off an impressive performance in most recent playoffs. Sounds like Barry Zito? It is Barry Zito. But it was also Mike Hampton on December 9th, 2000. Like the winter of 2006, the winter of 2000 was a very nice time to be signing a contract. The four biggest contracts in sports history were signed that year. Alex Rodriguez: $252,000,000 over 10 years Derek Jeter: $189,000,000 over 10 years Manny Ramirez: $160,000,000 over 8 years Todd Helton: $141,000,000 over 11 years Like Helton, Hampton was signed by the Rockies and trailed behind those four contracts with a lucrative one of his own, 8 years, $121,000,000. "We added a horse," said Rockies? GM Dan O?Dowd when the club announced the signing back in 2000. "His leadership in the clubhouse will be very important for us in the next eight years." After just two seasons in Colorado, Hampton was traded to the Marlins, who then traded him to Atlanta. "There's no doubt it's the toughest place to pitch," Hampton said when he signed the contract. "It's a test I look forward to and something that I think will make me a better pitcher in the long run." As Hampton correctly predicted, pitching at Coors Field was very difficult, posting a 5.77 ERA there in 2001 and a 5.68 ERA in 2002. He of course did not become a better pitcher. What was especially startling is the 6.44 ERA he posted on the road in that 2002 season. This from a pitcher who left New York with a career 3.44 ERA, .11 points lower than Zito's 3.55. Hampton was able to become an effective pitcher during his first two seasons in Atlanta, but has struggled with elbow injuries since 2005, missing the entire 2006 campaign. Is Barry Zito the next Mike Hampton? Unless Scott Boras is played the same way he was by the Red Sox, Zito definitely will be the next Mike Hampton when he signs the first nine-figure deal for a pitcher since his southpaw predecessor. Texas has reportedly already offered Zito a hundred million contract offer. If Zito, a notorious fly ball pitcher, moves his guitar-playing, yoga-practicing act to Arlington, he will be tempting fate in the same manner Hampton did. It makes utter sense for Zito to move to the National League and to a team with a big outfield; the Mets and Giants fill the bill. For a pitcher, going from the AL to the NL is a verified godsend. Pedro Martinez?s ERA dropped a full point when he joined the Mets for the 2005 season. Roger Clemens? ERA went from 3.91 in his last year with the Yankees to 2.98 with Houston in 2004. Derek Lowe?s ERA dropped from 5.42 in Boston to 3.61 in Los Angeles, where the once erratic pitcher has become a model of consistency. As important as spacious NL parks tend to be, what might be most important is the fact that both teams will give him a level of comfort that he could not find anywhere else. The Mets have Rick Peterson, the former Oakland pitching coach who mentored Zito?s early professional development. The Giants allow him to remain in California and remain in an area where the non-eccentric are the outcasts. At Shea or at AT&T, Zito can officially become the Tom Glavine of his generation. In Texas, his tenure will be as successful as Chan Ho Park?s and he will be branded the Mike Hampton of his generation. Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and may be reached via email at [email protected]