Five questions: Making sense of Howard's new deal
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Five questions: Making sense of Howard's new deal
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
There is plenty of info to come on the five-year, $125 million contract extension Ryan Howard agreed to earlier today. For all the nuts and bolts of the deal, see our previous post. In the meantime, we'll look at some FAQs concerning the deal.
This started as three questions, and will likely grow throughout the day.
1. What does this mean?
It means that the Phillies are planning on building around Howard, Roy Halladay and Chase Utley for the next four seasons. Those three players are the only ones on the roster signed through the 2013 season. Utley's contract expires after 2013. The Phillies have a club option on Halladay for 2014. Howard, obviously, is signed through 2016.
Here is the money the Phillies have allocated through the end of Howard's deal, according to Daily News records:
2012: $82.75 million to Halladay, Howard, Utley, Victorino, Blanton, Polanco, Ruiz (Lidge option; Hamels, Happ, Francisco arb eligible)
2013: $55.0 million to Halladay, Howard, Utley (Polanco, Ruiz club options; Happ, Francisco arb eligible)
2014: $45 million to Howard and Halladay (assuming option vests)
2015: $25 million to Howard
2016: $25 million to Howard
Jimmy Rollins is signed through 2011.
2. How does Howard's contract compare?
The market was set last year by the Yankees when they signed Mark Teixeira to an eight year, $180 million contract that runs from 2009-16. Like Teixeira's, Howard's contract runs through 2016. Like Teixeira, he will be 36 years old in the final guaranteed year of his deal. Howard's contract guarantees him $12.5 million more than Teixeira will earn over the last five years of his deal, from his 32nd birthday through his 36th.
One key difference is that Teixeira has a full no-trade clause. Howard has a limited no-trade clause (at this point, I'm not sure how limited), which for the Phillies could wind up being more valuable than $12.5 million.
On the other hand, Teixeira's deal was signed when he was on the open market. The Phillies weren't negotiating against anybody else with Howard's deal.
Teixeira deal
2009 (29): $20.0
2010 (30): $20.0
2011 (31): $22.5
2012 (32): $22.5
2013 (33): $22.5
2014 (34): $22.5
2015 (35): $22.5
2016 (36): $22.5
Howard deal
2012 (32): $20.0
2013 (33): $20.0
2014 (34): $25.0
2015 (35): $25.0
2016 (36): $25.0
2017 (37): $10.0 (guaranteed)/$23.0 (if option exercised)
3. How does the contract affect the Phillies ability to re-sign Jayson Werth?
Not as much as you might think. It might affect their willingness to give Werth a long-term deal at his market rate, but Howard's contract does not eliminate the possibility. The extension takes effect in 2012, when the Phillies now have $84.25 million guaranteed to Roy Halladay, Joe Blanton, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz, along with a $1.5 million buyout to Brad Lidge if they don't pick up his $12.5 million option. This number does not include Cole Hamels, who will be eligible for arbitration after making $9.5 million in 2011. Hamels is eligible for free agency after 2012. It also doesn't include salaries for J.A. Happ and Ben Francisco, both of whom will be arbitration eligible.
So the Phillies still have plenty of payroll flexibility in 2012. The Howard deal does not affect their flexibility for next season, when they have $130.85 million guaranteed to 15 players.
The doubt about the Phillies' ability to sign Werth centers around next year, since they have just $9.15 million of available cash before they hit this year's Opening Day roster total of about $140 million, and 10 active roster vacancies to fill.
4. What was that anguished scream echoing across the Mississippi River I just heard?
That would be John Mozeliak, general manager of the Cardinals. Perhaps part of the Phillies' strategy was to either get Albert Pujols traded out of the National League or bankrupt St. Louis in the years to come. Regardless of what you think of the extension, the Phillies set an early market for future free agents like Pujols and Prince Fielder a year-and-a-half before they had to.
5. So why now?
It's going to be a big question posed to Ruben Amaro Jr. later on this evening. I'm not surprised that they decided to sign Howard now, but I would've thought that any deal would come only as a result of some obvious concessions on Howard's part. I thought there might be a chance that the two sides re-worked these next two seasons as well, giving the Phillies a better opportunity to sign a guy like Jayson Werth. Perhaps cutting Howard's salary a tad next season and then adding it on in the form of deferred money or some back-loaded years.
Great signing, NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT!!! Philly guy in DC you make no sense (probably why you offered no facts to back up your opinion). The comment about "sluggers of his body type have almost never aged well, and he does not have the defensive strength or all-around hitting ability of a Pujols or Tex" is ridiculous. What slugger of his body type are you talking about??? Albert Belle, Frank Thomas, steroid Mark Mcguire, Jeff Bagwell, Jim Thome??? Howard's in as good or better shape than all of those 400-500 home run guys. Pujols is the best player in the game, but Tex can't carry Howard's jock. Please, if you are going to comment, put a minimal amount of thought in to the comment. Lets try not to lower the bar— elbc- Philly is a place players want to come to now. It wasn't that way just a few years ago. Having a solid core locked in makes it that much easier to add other pieces.— Jimac
- CLIFF LEE says that he is Speechless in Seattle over how anyone could find something negative about today's news....— stan the man too
- Gnip Gnop - No one could've put it any better! That's IT!— phillies_eagles
- You guys are missing the point, asking why the Phillies didn't spend the money this year. The Howard extension doesn't start for two years. He will be getting no more money than he is currently making. Moyer comes off this year, Ibanez next year. Werth may or may not be here. That means more $$ to resign Rollins and/or to add more pitchers, whatever the need may be. This extension has nothing to do with this year's payroll.— mike l
- This is a god deal. The first post is bogus. Howard's RBI's have nothing to do with the line-up. the same guy will probably tell you Rollins is the worst leadoff hitter in the game. truth is, Howard rolls all those RBI's despite having 1 high OBP guy in front of him. Plus the three guys in front of him clear the bases 65 times a year(HR's). He deserves the contract and would have gotten more on the open market. Now the Phillies have him signed for his career or at least the part of his career that matters. 36 is the perfect age to re-evaluate(read mov on) At worst they get stuck with one year of old.— UncleStosh
- Great move by the GOLD STANDARD of the City.— Philly4fanDoc
- Lowes will now be selling Citizens Bank Park special blend of dirt for your yard. I like the signing. Phillies, the true "Golden Standard."— phillyart
- Great move to lock up Howard. Now lets sign Jason!!— brickhead
- Looks like Freddy Galvis will be the Phils opening day starting shortstop and Dom Brown will replace Raul in 2012. For next year they now must extend Jayson Werth or go get another right handed hitting, outfielder of nothern European heritage otherwise the starting lineup would lack balance in several key areas.— Dull
- Yankees go home. Love this deal! Howard earned the big payday, unlike that tool A-rod.— jimydipstick
- Gnip, Howard and good pitching are not mutually exclusive. The Phillies theoretically can have them both. Depends on ownership commitment.— jimydipstick
- Dull, excellent.— celtic_13
- This is a great move. In 2 years, when his current contract expires, players of his stature will be signing deals quite a bit higher than what he signed for today.— LeftCoastPhan
- Ibanez needs to be replaced not Werth- the have to keep him at this point. Raul is batting 241 since the injury last year and clearly the first half of 09 is starting to look flukish— brock
