Ryan Howard signed a 3 year, $54 million dollar deal over the weekend. The deal makes Howard the highest paid player in Philadelphia sports today. This contract also allows Howard and the Phils to avoid the dreaded arbitration hearings. Howard's deal averages $18 million a year for 3 years, which is what Howard was asking for in this years' arbitration hearing. This seems to be on the surface a terrific deal from the Phillies perspective. Also, only committing 3 years to Howard should also work to the Fightin's advantage, as Howard might be past his prime in 3 years. That way, when his contract has expired, we can allow the Yanks or Sox to overpay for him in 2012. This deal seems perfect for the Phils, and I am surprised that Howard took it as it was always reported that he was looking for a long, very high paying contract. Also, by signing a 3 year deal, this is not the last time that Ryan Howard is going to want a big pay day. If he continues to play great baseball, he will be rewarded with an even bigger contract in 2012. This will hopefully keep Howard motivated throughout the 3 years of his contract. I don't think Howard is the type of player who would start playing poorly even if he had a real long term deal, but it's good to know that he will continue to be motivated by his next big deal.
1 comment:
I definately think the Phillies won in this deal. Anytime you get a star player nowadays without overpaying, thats the equivilent of getting a steal. We are paying Howard pretty much exactly what he deserves, no more no less, and we don't have to keep him around if, like many predict, he becomes much more human after his prime. I love the deal.
PS: How amazing is it that the Phillies have added the most amount of money to their payroll this offesaon out of every team in the majors....and it was all to keep the team together! Our only signings were actually cheaper than the player they were replacing, all of this added payroll was to keep our key components. Amazing...looks like we are really banking on lightning striking twice
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