[Lefty Noob]

The Phillies today announced that they have renewed the contract of 1B Ryan Howard today. Howard will make $900k, which according to the AP, is "the highest base salary in a one-year contract for a player not eligible for arbitration." Howard and the team were trying to agree to terms on a longer deal, but talks fell through. They really need to get this guy locked up; if Howard hits the open market, he'll get insane offers from the big spenders.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

That's the best Philly could do?...900K base?...I think I can picture Howard in pinstripes from here...

[EmpireWF]

Howard should easily be able to get a deal closer to $90 Million and at least $14-15 million per year from the Phillies.

[njpsufan]

Good deal. The highest contract, ever, for a guy with only 2 years experience. Ties Albert Pujols who got 900K after his 3rd yr. The Phils know they have to pay him and they will. But only a fool starts dishing out money too soon. He is not eligible for arbitration until 2008. If he is getting paid the same as Pujols was then that is saying something. Howard is a damn good ballplayer, but he is not Albert Pujols, yet.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by njpsufan

Good deal. The highest contract, ever, for a guy with only 2 years experience. Ties Albert Pujols who got 900K after his 3rd yr. The Phils know they have to pay him and they will. But only a fool starts dishing out money too soon. He is not eligible for arbitration until 2008. If he is getting paid the same as Pujols was then that is saying something. Howard is a damn good ballplayer, but he is not Albert Pujols, yet.

No, but for an extra $100K they could have made him feel like he was...

[njpsufan]

He got 900K after 2 years in the league... Pujols got 900K after 3 years in the league. If that does not tell him how much they value him what will?? After this year he will be looking at the largest salary ever for a guy with 3 years experience, which the Phils will gladly pay, unless they get a long term deal done first. He is not going anywhere other then Philly.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by njpsufan

He got 900K after 2 years in the league... Pujols got 900K after 3 years in the league. If that does not tell him how much they value him what will?? After this year he will be looking at the largest salary ever for a guy with 3 years experience, which the Phils will gladly pay, unless they get a long term deal done first. He is not going anywhere other then Philly.

well then 901K...

I hear you man...I just like to push the envelope.

[njpsufan]

No problem. I love Howard and I am glad he is a Philly, but to me Pujols is something special. I have season tickets to the Phils and the series agst the Cards is the one my son and I never miss.

[Phils20]

Ryan seems to have mellowed a bit after seeming a bit PO's the day of. I think that in this case the Phillies have made the right move, and that after this season they are going to have to pay up!

The sooner the season starts, the sooner he'll have other things on his mind!

I just can't wait for the season to get here!

[MJHMarc]

Our power slugger, Ryan Howard, is predicted to hit 53 homeruns by ESPN. According to these projections, the Phillies should just hand him their whole wallet and walk away.

[njpsufan]

I was talking with a friend about the whole Howard contract thing and he gave me a very interesting take. Generally hitters have their prime years between 27-32 roughly. Some guys stay gd longer, others peak early. Howard is just entering his peak years, he is 27 now. If the Phils did not sign him to a long term deal, under the current MLB contract, he would be eligible for arbitraion for the next 3 years, but not able to be a FA. FA does not kick in until after 6 yrs of playing. So by the time Howard would be able to test the market he would be at the end of his "prime years". Now I told my buddy, he's a 1B... they generally stay healthier longer as it is not that physically demanding of a position compared to 3B or SS. True he said, but if his production numbers over the previous 3-4 years had stayed the same, or dropped a little, why would you invest $100+M on a guy with only 6 years left. You could use that money to get SP and you could be using the farm system to groom a new 1B. It was an interesting thought, not so much from a fans point of view but from the financial aspect of the game, which unfortunately, is now a major part of the game.