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Ryan Howard is no stranger to public praise -- he won the 2005 Rookie of the Year Award, the 2006 NL MVP, he holds the Philadelphia Phillies' record for most home runs in a season (58) and he's got a World Series title. The Phillies on Monday, though, may have made the biggest statement in praise of Howard to date, by signing him to a five-year, $125 million extension.The deal, which guarantees Howard $125 million over five years, could grow to as much as $138 million with a sixth year option, according to a press release from the team:
"The five-year extension will pay Howard $20 million in each of the 2012 and 2013 seasons and $25 million per year from 2014-16. The club option is worth $23 million with a $10 million buyout. The extension includes awards bonuses and a limited no-trade provision," the club announced.
Now, there's no denying that Howard's a great player, and there's also no denying that the Phillies have been headed in the right direction -- on almost all fronts -- for some time now, moving from a perennial also-ran to an NL East powerhouse.
So in that sense, it's pretty hard to judge this as an overpay. But at the same time, Philadelphia just committed a ton of money to a slugger who's (somehow) already 30 and who has a physical makeup that makes $25 million in the final year of this deal, when Howard will be creeping towards 40, seem a touch aggressive.
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