Phils' Howard gets megadeal

SAN FRANCISCO - To Charlie Manuel, Ryan Howard is a Phillie. Always has been, always will be. When Manuel came to Philadelphia as manager in 2005, his budding star had played in just 19 major-league games. So that spring, Manuel pulled Howard aside to chat.

"I told him, 'You want 10 years in the big leagues and to make all the money you possibly can?'" Manuel said. "'I'm not talking about you hitting 20 or 30 home runs in the minor leagues. I'm talking about you hitting 40 or more in the big leagues and hitting .300.'

"I remember just like it was yesterday."

Well, Howard is about to make a lot of money.

The Phillies signed their slugging first baseman to a five-year, $125 million extension Monday. The deal has a club option for a sixth year that could make the contract worth $138 million and keep Howard in Philadelphia until he is 37. He was set to become a free agent after the 2011 season.

It is the richest deal in franchise history. And Howard's average annual salary of $25 million beginning in 2012 will make him the second-highest-paid player in baseball behind only New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

For Howard and the Phillies, it's an agreement that seemed unlikely even two years ago, when both sides went through a messy arbitration process before the 2008 season. As a prospect, Howard was constantly mentioned in trade talks as a chip.

Now he may very well spend his entire career in Philadelphia.

"It's a great feeling to have that security and know where you're going to be," said Howard, 30. "I never focused on the trade stuff. All I focused on was playing. That's all I worried about. The other stuff was just talk."

Howard is making $19 million this season and $20 million in 2011. In the first two years of the extension, he will earn $20 million in each season. From 2014 to '16, he will make $25 million per season. In 2016, the Phillies hold a $23 million club option with a $10 million buyout.

The deal includes a limited no-trade clause. Howard can choose nine teams annually to which he would accept a trade. Early in 2015, Howard will become a 10-and-5 player (10 seasons in the majors and five with the same team), meaning he will possess full veto rights to any deal.

Of course, with any contract of this nature, there comes a great deal of risk.

With first basemen Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez also on track to enter free agency after the 2011 season, the Phillies could have waited to see how the market played out.

The Phillies decided that was not an option. Howard's agent, Casey Close, said he was approached by Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. at the beginning of spring training. Amaro wanted to work out a deal. Along with assistant general manager Scott Proefrock, he did just that.

"We just felt it was good timing for us," Amaro said. "We felt like No. 1, he's one of the elite offensive players in the game. We could have waited another year-and-a-half or so and dealt with it later on, but the fact of the matter is we decided that he's that important to our organization and our future."

Howard, a fifth-round pick in 2001, leads all major-league players in home runs (222 entering last night) and RBIs (650) since becoming an everyday player on July 1, 2005. He was the 2006 National League MVP and is arguably the game's premier slugger. He is fifth on the Phillies' all-time home run list.

But power hitters have a long track record of rapid declines in their later years. And the Phillies essentially set the market when they could have waited.

Amaro said that wasn't considered.

"He kind of set the market for himself," Amaro said. "We don't view it as a market-setting deal. We think it's an equitable deal for both sides and it's something he deserves. There's always risk when you're doing guaranteed deals, but with what Ryan has done and what we think he'll do in the future, I think it's a good risk."

The Phillies had been reluctant in the past to commit to a long-term deal with Howard, but Amaro said the first baseman's dedication to improving - especially his training regimen - pushed the Phillies toward making the deal.

Howard said because he started his new training regimen later than he should have, he is optimistic about staying in shape as a prominent run producer.

"I feel that what I've been doing over the last couple of years," Howard said, "I feel pretty confident that down the road, I'll be right where I want to be and doing the same thing."

He thanked the organization and praised the relationship he has with the Philadelphia fans. As he walked to the Phillies' clubhouse at AT&T Park, a ballpark employee made a "cha-ching" sound. Howard will be hearing that more often.

"The Big Piece," Manuel said, "got a big piece of the pie."