Why Howard deal makes sense
Why? It's the attitude.
Why Howard deal makes sense
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
You buy tickets. The Phillies' owners take a cut and then pass the rest of it on to the players. It is a simple concept, when you think about it. Ownership has once again demonstrated its determination to prolong this incredibly sweet spot in time. And now it means that Ryan Howard is going to be here until 2016.
The debate will begin in baseball circles if it hasn't begun already: does it make sense to commit at least $125 million to Howard in the years 2012-16? Does it make sense to commit that kind of coin to a 30-year-old power hitter, who will be 36 when the guaranteed part of the deal is over? Does it make sense for a big man who hits collossal home runs but who also strikes out a lot?
The quick answer is: yes.
But the reason might not be the one in your head. I cannot predict the future. Howard can't. The Phillies can't. This is all a guess. Skills erode sometimes. Injuries happen sometimes. Happenstance happens sometimes. To pretend to know the future is to tell a lie.
So you go on what you see now -- and what you see now is a fearsome slugger. But you have to look deeper than that.
What I see now is a guy who is physically in better shape than he was 3 years ago. That is about work ethic, and trying to get better.
What I see now is a guy who is three times the defensive player he was when he first arrived in the big leagues. That is about high-level instruction on the Phillies' part and it is about a willingness on Howard's part to identify a deficiency and deal with it professionally.
Howard has already made a ton a cash. His response to every bump in salary has been to work at his game even more.
Again, there are no guarantees. But in baseball's big casino, this one really does make sense.
Poll: Is Howard worth the money?
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Ronin32, Dom Brown is a lefty along with Howard, Utley, Ibanez, Rollins, so if it is not Werth in right field, then you need to find a right handed bat to protect Howard. I agree with PYW. If you can trade Victorino and keep Werth do it! Werth can play center and eventually you might be able to move Werth back to right in a few years if Gilles can play! Brown, Gilles and Werth— reggiedunlop
I like Werth but when it comes down to it, this is a business like everyone likes to point out. Sometimes businesses lose good workers and bad ones feel their spots but there is instances where you lose a good worker and the next worker doesn't miss a beat. Congrats to Ryan Howard..and if we do lose Werth, which I think we will. Brown may turn out to be a stud that makes less money than Werth would and who knows maybe we plug a better #2 pitcher in next year since Hollywood Hamels done lost it.- Great job by Gillick. Now, Pat, please fire Rich Dubee and hire Gomer's buddy, Dick Pole.— Dr. Michael
Werth, Victorino, Brown. I like the sound of it. If we still had Taylor then I would say it was signed sealed and delivered, but now I think there is an outside chance that Jason Werth is a Phillie for a while.- Given the distinction between players and pitchers, take the players! Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee. For crying out loud Mr. imageshaper and all the others such as you--GET OVER IT ALL READY!— BEMiller
- love the guy (he's such a great big teddy bear, how can you not?), and IF they'd kept lee instead of moaning about how much they'd have to pay him next year and trading him for slop, i'd say ryan's extension is terrific. but the inconsistent numbers game this club is playing is ever so perplexing. (of course, were they consistent, they would've let howard go, waited till he was 36, then given him a 3 year deal.)— kiwi
I wish the Eagles could operate more like the Phillies . . .— Justicek- Brown will not replace Werth because he is left handed. They will not have a line up with 4 straigh lefties in the middle. Werth will get extended and Brown will take over for Raul after next year.— bej0520
- Too much for a team who was too cheap in keeping Cliff Lee. If we were the Yankees, then the deal is fine. This will kill us 3 years down the road. I like Howard but would rather have Werth for $15M per year, and use the extra $10M for pitching.— Whiz_Kid_Scout
- Well, this comes as a surprise to me, I had assumed that the natural progression would be for Howard to go and for chase to move to first to prolong his career. So much for that. When it comes to Werth, they really need his right handed bat in the order, Brown is a lefty. I'm not sure how you replace that from within. They really need to figure out a way to keep Werth.— DennisAtwell
- Great job. great signing. I'd love it if we could re-sign Werth, personally as much as I love shane, if we have to move him to keep Werth than I say do it.. Can't Donald Brown come up and play center.. or will he be playing left when Raul retires?— jc2178
Comment removed.- I am very happy for Ryan Howard, clearly the last two seasons you could see am improvement with his defense along with a better plate discipline this year. We can also expect a high number of strikeouts but with this kind of guarantee which only rivals that of A-Rod the Phils demonstrated the willingness to keep a portion of their cornerstone! When was the last time we saw the Phils do something like this? Not in my 40yrs of living. Nice work Ruben!— gbreen88
- Good article rich.— nilsen
- all the people complaining about Cliff Lee, does it not occur to you that this deal is possibly part of the reason that they did not keep Lee? idiots.— Ckott
