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.
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Buy Phillies tickets Comments (80)
I'm delighted with this deal and I enjoyed reading this article.- @imageshaper: He sure does. He and Howard also have something else in common: 0.0 innings pitched this year!— mthompson0307
- Love Howard, but am concerned about how well a player of his size will hold up through the length of the contract and wondering why they didn't go 4/100. Big players have generally not aged well.— Bobby G
Very happy to see this deal made. Ryan would have been snapped up by the Yankees or some other "big money" team if the Phillies had not acted. Good to see.- Contrast how Howard signed a big contract, then went to work to improve his skills, with Burrell, who signed a big contract, then went drinking every night ("Mayor of Center City"). What a refreshing difference!— Delaware Jim
- How much is a ticket again?— tellitso
- Don't assume Werth is gone. They seem to find money for the guys they want to keep.— bd73
- there was no supporting of your yes whatsoever. this does not make sense— jbourne53
- Love this extension. Now figure out a way to lock up Werth and prepare Brown to replace Ibanez.— dri_as_a_bone
- I thought the question is, is Howard worth it? He's a rare talent that could become not only a better fielder but better hitter too. If he can improve his fielding, he can cut down on strike outs. His best season(s), I think, are still ahead. Oh yes, and let's find a way to keep Werth too. Sure, Brown's coming up, but he'll take Ibanez's spot.— Slidewell
Roy: 4-0, ERA below 1.00. Cliff: has not pitched an inning. Get over it kids - he wanted to test the waters of free agency after this year, he overplayed his hand. If he really wants to be here, he'll sign here. Until then, it's time to let go. As far as Werth goes, I won't count anything out, but it looks grim. Moving Ibanez and Moyer would free up some cash. What about J-Roll?— Doctor D
That's a pretty long deal but what the hay! He produces! Now my comment will get removed, don't know why.- Not bad considering he still can't hit a curveball.— echosmyron
- I like that Gary81 misspelled the word "fool" in his comment.— MaC130
- Cliff Lee isn't helping anyone right now and not for another couple of weeks. Right now the Phillies wouldn't have either Lee or Blanton. At least they have something in the farm system that they can use if they need to get another pitcher later in the season. If everything was the same, they'd have Lee and still have Kendricks, Happ and Moyer and no farm system. Blanton would have been traded for little.— mike l
- These baseball salaries are way out of control. If Howard is worth that much money just because he is good at hitting a baseball and playing a kids game then what is a school teacher worth? What is a scientist trying to come up with a cure for cancer worth? Is it any wonder our sense of value and our economy is so messed up?— fanup
- Aumont threw 6 no hit innings yesterday in Reading. Thats a positive. Wait till Rich Dubee gets a hold of him... all down hill from there.— Theo1980
- With Ibanez and Polanco not being long-term answers, the team could find the money to keep Werth. It sucks that he was such a late bloomer, but the Phils scouts were excellent getting him out of Dodger blue. You make the decision to go with Brown or someone cheap in LF and young at 3b, then you drop a mediocre SP (Blanton? Jamie?) Plus Werth wants to be here and you're at least in business.— KNuff
- Howard has been consistent throughout his career. For those of you still bemoaning the failure to lock up Lee long-term realize that Lee had a 6+ ERA and was sent to the minors 3 short seasons ago. The guy's career has been a roller coaster.— jtj06
- "Bye Worth...Hello Mr. Brown...you're a foll if you don't see that coming" Yeah, because we need another left-handed bat in our lineup. Because of that reason Brown is not a good replacement for Werth. I'm hoping that Ibanez finishes with a somewhat decent season so that some AL will be willing to trade for him and take on his contract. Then, we can replace Ibanez with Brown and re-sign Werth with contracts like Ibanez and Moyer off of the books. I may be hoping for too much though...— WorldPh*ckingChampions
- 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
- Good article rich.— nilsen
- 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
Comment removed.- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
I wish the Eagles could operate more like the Phillies . . .— Justicek- 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
- 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
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.- Great job by Gillick. Now, Pat, please fire Rich Dubee and hire Gomer's buddy, Dick Pole.— Dr. Michael
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.- 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
- Byter is right. I wouldn't be so quick to pull the trigger on JW leaving town. I have to say I was quite suprised to see this headline, but at least pleasantly suprised. The question I wonder here is, if they sign JW, starting pitching is always an area of focus for this team b/c of their ability to score runs. Rest well Jimmy, can't wait till you come back...— phigglesfan75
- Utley to 1st, Placido to 2nd, Howard in exchange for arms...— 5280philly
- Compare his attitude to Sean Andrews'. Case closed.— Lockyer
- I love Howard's work ethic and the fact that he is always working on his game. He comes into shape in GREAT shape. This guy deserves this contract. I wish some of the Flyers players would have his offseason motivation to better their games.— ChrisM
- what happens when Utley needs to be moved to first in 2 or 3 years?— Ckott
- First off Ryno until hes 36 is no problem as long as he keeps up with his work ethic. I don't think Werth will want to go to the Yankees because Burnett is there. I know it sounds silly but Burnett derailed Werth's career for 2 years and last year a philly reporter asked him about Burnett and Utley jumped in as to say don't bring Burnett up. If the Red Sox get Crawford maybe he'll take less money to stay with the Phils. The Red Sox don't need another right handed power bat.— EarlKeese
- They just may re-sign Werth and trade Victorino because Werth can move to center.— PYW
- Nice words Mr. Hoffman. I agree 100%.— jtj06
- No brainer. It is a pleasure to have this guy represent our team and our city. Good guy, hard worker, amazing talent. And I would sign an All Star 1rst baseman to a long term deal before a pitcher. pitching wins, but they don;t project over the long term as easily. And Weth is replaceable, heck we may already have his replacement i the system. Not sure how anyone can question this extension.— gee1971
- @Gary81 --> you should use speelcheck before posting.— HokieMon
- I shoulda read this guy first. The putz took all of my good things that I posted and used 'em here. (I will say he did it in a more professional matter. But my stuff was more heartwarming.)— TBear
- typical. dump on ensuring one of the most feared hitters in the game will be locked up for the next 5 years because you guys are so sure this means no werth anymore. news flash. even before this happened it was a pretty sure thing that werth was on his way out. but you never know, another world series championship and he might just be willing to take a hometown discount.— flyers70
- Why is everybody saying goodbye to Werth. The Phillies are no longer on the cheap like they were in years past. Moyer is coming off the books the end of 2010 and if they can trade Ibanez after this year they would have some cash to lockup Werth. I would love to see an outfield in 2011 of Werth, Victorino, and D. Brown.— kzimm63
- I am glad to read this article, to see that Howard's work ethic helped get this extension accomplished. Hopefully, this extension makes it easier for them to get Rollins extended through the rest of his career.— 76erfn
- Um, axeman...it's "you're", not "your". Care to apologize?— Bob1
- Well, let them increase ticket prices and there will be no problem locking up Werth. When the increases come, I don't want to see any whining on the forums. Let it pass through, then we should have no issue keeping Werth and the next Cliff Lee (maybe when Lee is a free agent).— dgabs
- Werth is expendable when you have a guy like Dominic Brown in the minors. You can't have a team full of 15-20 Million players— ronin32
- where are all the crybabies who say this team is cheap???
- Man, there is just too much negativity in Philly. Signing Howard could mean less money for other players, but why Rain on his parade with all these negative comments!— dan39564
I really think they are waiting until the ASB to see if Werth can repeat his numbers from last year. I do not see the Phillies letting Werth go without a contract offer somewhere around Jason Bay's average annual salary, but that doesn't mean the Yankees won't come in and make him a bigger offer.- I'm sure somewhere Albert Pujols is smiling.— Yardley327
- Good Job by the Phils!! This makes up for the years they kept Ryan out of the major leagues in favor of Jim Thome. We now have an older player, in Ryan Howard, because managmeent thought better of Mr. Thome a few years ago. Hopefully, Ryan can keep up his good health and remain productive throughout the contract.— mark1161
- That is more than $10,000. per strike out! Why not Sign Cliff Lee to a long term deal???... why was that not done?????— Skena
- Still would trade him to the Cards for Pujols in a second.— Dull
- Amen Rich. But let's not write Werth off so quickly folks. This organization hasn't made too many bad moves lately, (cough, Cliff Lee, cough, cough)so let's wait and see.— JLH
He's the kind of player who you don't mind seeing get the big bucks. To get better defensively at the major league level is just not something you see much of. His bat - goes without saying - he's awesome. He's still improving. Money well spent!! I'm guessing they will find a way to keep Werth too. He should be paid too!!- I agree 100% with the work ethic statement. Howard looks lean and mean this year, he obviously spent a lot of time in the gym over the winter. The man is an RBI machine, and I see his defense improving year to year. Glad it'll be with the Phillies.— Chadds Ford
- Comment removed.
- Gary81... your the foll.... cant even spell Werth or fool. If you cant spell nobody is going to take anything you write as serious.— axeman11
- Ryan Howard is a winner and the Phillies have ridden his back to the best 5 yr stretch in team history.Signing him to a long term deal is wonderful news. When you look at the stats and recount all his clutch hits over the past 5 years, the only other player you could rank higher than him during that time is Pujols. Provided he stays healthy, he is on track to the Hall of Fame and career numbers that should approach 600 homers. Its a good day to be a Phillies fan.— bradco
- Everyone is probably right about Werth, but an optimist might see the other side. Now that Howard is locked up, there is some cost certainty which allows them to know the budget to go after Werth. Yes they may need to go above 140 million, but at least the question of Howard's number won't be part of the Werth consideration.— Byter
- Cliff Lee has a work ethic too— imageshaper
- I like this organization under Rubern more and more every day. Good job.— axeman11
Moyer's deal will be done, that frees up some cash, Ibanez's is over the next year, so a nice increase in salary the next two seasons and a better one the third, if he still dserves it. Three years from now Brown will be in the outfield instead of Ibanez, not Werth.- Bye Worth...Hello Mr. Brown...you're a foll if you don't see that coming— Gary81
- 2 years ago we all were sure that they wouldn't sign Howard. This team now makes the deals that it wants to make.— rmpchf
- Don't be so quick to say Werth is gone. He probably is, but this present management never ceases to surprise me. They want to win, and they'll do what they need to do to do it.— Hemingway
- money well spent.. they guy deserves it... he works on his game.. he makes the team better... good for Ryan Howard...— clinoril
- Nice to see hard work paying off, yet again. Way to go, MVP!!!!!— UncleEddie
- well said. Howard for MVP.— padillaflotilla
- Bye bye JW.— erformc1
- now playing right field for the 2011 New York Yankees..JaysonJaysonJayson..WerthWerthWerth. This just sealed the deal that we'll have no Werthy roaming right field any longer. No more t-shirts that read "Home Runs..They are so easy, even Jayson Werth can do it"...Gone all gone =(— Carl Spangler
- great article— jimbeau
- Exactly. Howard could have very easily turned it off. He didn't. He chooses to work hard and improve every day. Just think, he can get BETTER.— eagles84
Congratulations Ryan! Glad you are sticking around.— Bummy Davis
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