What a difference a couple of years makes, eh? A few years ago, it looked like the Phillies didn't really want anything to do with a long term deal for Ryan Howard, as they kept pushing him towards arbitration and then a three year contract. Now, one MVP, two World Series trips and countless home runs later, Ryan Howard is going to be a Phillie for a long time, as he signed a five year, $125 million extension through the 2016 season, with a team option for 2017, meaning that the Phillies will likely have him in their uniform for the rest of his career.
Of course, there are some people that are going to say that the Phillies paid him too much for this deal: after all, Howard is getting Alex Rodriguez money now. To be honest with you, I really think that this deal is just about right for Howard. For everything that he's done with the Phillies, he deserves this money. Yes, I know that most power hitters begin to decline as they get past 30, and Howard is there now, but he doesn't seem to be showing signs of that right now. After all, he just dropped 30 pounds in the offseason and got a late start on his pro career anyway, so he's honestly just hitting his prime right now. Plus, this keeps Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay under contract for the long term and helps the Phillies remain at the top of the National League for years to come.
Not everything is perfect with this deal, though. Signing Howard to this type of contract certainly makes signing Jayson Werth a lot harder during the coming offseason. However, there are a lot of contracts coming off the books after this year, such as:
Jaime Moyer - $8,000,000
Chad Durbin - $2,500,000
Jose Contreras - $1,500,000
Adam Eaton - $500,000
Pedro Feliz - $500,000
Geoff Jenkins - $1,250,000
Aside from the shock that the Phillies are paying Jamie Moyer $8,000,000 and still have Adam Eaton and Geoff Jenkins on their payroll, that's over $14 million in payroll that will be leaving the books next year. Couple in Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard making more money, and the Phils still have a little room to work with to even reach this year's payroll, which is sure to go up next year regardless of what happens with Werth. Personally, I would rather let Raul Ibanez walk, sign Werth and put Domonic Brown in left field, but I don't know what's in the cards yet. That's just what I would like to have happen, but this is certainly going to make signing Werth a bit harder.
Regardless, I do think that this is a good deal. Ryan Howard is one of the best players in Phillies history, and now he's going to be a Phillie for the rest of his career. If he does begin to decline, then this contract is going to be a huge albatross for the Phillies, but right now, we all have t focus on what Howard is doing for this team, and he's doing a hell of a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing Howard with the Phillies for years to come, and not having to deal with the Yankees or Red Sox pulling the Brinks truck up to his driveway once his current contract ran out. Good job by the Phillies to get this done.
CSNPhilly: Phillies sign Howard to $125 million extension
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