Howard's Millions

Hey everybody! I know, it's been a little while since I wrote last, but I have been fairly busy. And you may have noticed that in this blog, as in my now edited prior blogs, that the pictures of ballplayers you have grown accustomed to seeing are now gone. That is due to the fact that I have basically been stealing photos off the Internet. While I'm sure no one has been harmed by my doing so, I have decided to take a different route to my entertainment exploration and offer up some baseball-inspired artwork instead. Now unfortunately for you, the image above was done by me, and I apologize. But soon I hope to have a few talented artists helping me out, and you'll be privy to their superior work. For now, you get my sketching. And before we begin, there is something wrong with the picture above, other than the lack of quality. Can you tell me what it is baseball fan??
Now on to baseball itself. As you may have heard, a big splash was made in the baseball world about a week ago. Mr. Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies has signed a monstrous five-year, $125 million dollar extension, which will keep the big man with the team until 2016 at least. There is an option for the 2017 season as well. Howard is already making $19 million this year, and that will go up to $20 million for the next three years, before being bumped up again to $25 million for the remainder of his tenure. That is a LOT of money.
Now if anyone deserves to be paid handsomely for his baseball production, then it's Hammerin' Howard (I just made that up). He won Rookie of the Year in 2005 and has been in the top five of the Most Valuable Player race for the past four years. And in those past four seasons, he has averaged 49 homeruns and 143 RBIs. He has been an integral part of the Phillies' two World Series appearances, and a celebrity in the City of Brotherly Love. So why do I still have a complaint about this contract?
Well, despite what you might be thinking, it's not because I'm a Mets fan. In fact, if the Mets had someone like Ryan Howard, I'd want them to lock him up as well. But what I dislike is the length and terms of this and other contracts like it. Howard is currently 30-years young, so he is in the midst of his prime hitting years. But the extension he just signed will keep him around until his 36th birthday. I would be shocked, SHOCKED, if he hits even close to 49 homers and drives in 143 runs when he's 36.
The fact is that talent depreciates over time. It happens to the best of athletes and there's nothing that can be done about it, except try to delay it for as long as possible. To his credit, Ryan is in fantastic shape and has even lost weight over the past couple of years to improve his defense. But with his better defense comes more opportunities now for him to get hurt making a great diving play. I'm not saying it's going to happen, and I certainly hope it doesn't, but it's possible.
Even if somehow Ryan Howard remains at the top of his game for several years to come, will his production really be worth $25 million at that point. That is the main problem I have with these contracts. By signing a player to that much money for that much time, you are rewarding them for what they have done, and not what they will do. It's great that the Phillies organization thinks so highly of Howard to thank him the way they are. But wouldn't a better tactic be to renegotiate his current contract, and wait to do the extension later?
Howard Medgel wrote a great article about this very thing that I found at MLBtraderumors.com. With Howard's extension now in place, the 2012 season looks problematic for the Phillies. In that year, they will have $87 million dollars tied up in seven players; Howard, Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, Joe Blanton, Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, and an assumed buyout of Brad Lidge's contract. You'll notice that doesn't account for Cole Hamels, Jayson Werth or Jimmy Rollins sticking around. Whether the Phillies can find a way to afford all these guys or not remains to be seen. It's undeniable, however, that Howard's contract has significantly altered the way the Phillies will be able to negotiate future deals.
I'm not saying this is the death of the Phillies dynasty. Far from it. Although as a Mets fan I would love nothing more. But it does show exactly how these enormous contracts can not only screw up a team's present circumstances, but their future ones as well. An extra $5 million for one player may not seem that much, but look at what that money might get you; a number five pitcher, a super-utility guy, maybe even a star veteran who just wants to sign with a contender. But because the team is loaded with big contacts, those small and possibly important additions may disappear. And if they disappear, maybe the playoffs will too.