Go ahead and lock up Votto now... Howard just made 1b pretty 'spensive...

[REDblooded]

Unreal deal for Howard just announced... If I was the Reds F.O. I'd be trying to take care of Votto now before it EVER comes close to that...

By Bailey Stephens / MLB.com

04/26/10 2:29 PM ET

First baseman Ryan Howard has signed a five-year contract extension with a sixth-year club option with the Phillies that could take him through the 2017 season, the team announced on Monday.

The deal guarantees Howard $125 million over five years and could reach $138 million over six years.

The five-year extension will pay Howard $20 million in each of the 2012 and 2013 seasons and $25 million per year from 2014-16. The club option is worth $23 million with a $10 million buyout. The extension includes awards bonuses and a limited no-trade provision.

[blumj]

Wow, I was really, really, wrong about what it should take for the Phillies to lock Howard up now. He looked to me like the guy in the upcoming big free agent 1B class most likely to wind up having to settle for something in between DH and 1B money, and this sure isn't that.

[Brutus]

Wow, I was really, really, wrong about what it should take for the Phillies to lock Howard up now. He looked to me like the guy in the upcoming big free agent 1B class most likely to wind up having to settle for something in between DH and 1B money, and this sure isn't that.

Honestly, I see this as a contract they will regret in 3-5 years. For as good as Howard is, he strikes me as a player that will suffer rapid decline in the near future. I'm sure he'll continue to hit home runs for a while, but I can see the strikeouts going way up and walks going way down as his body ages.

[Tom Servo]

Phillies will definatly regret it 2-3 years from now.

[REDblooded]

Honestly, I see this as a contract they will regret in 3-5 years. For as good as Howard is, he strikes me as a player that will suffer rapid decline in the near future. I'm sure he'll continue to hit home runs for a while, but I can see the strikeouts going way up and walks going way down as his body ages.

And he's not exactly as young as you would think... I don't think he made it to the majors until what? 26?

[Caveat Emperor]

Phillies will definatly regret it 2-3 years from now.

They're winning, they're in a new ballpark, they're in one of the larger media markets, and they're selling lots of tickets.

Really -- the Phillies should be considered in the same breath as the Yankees, Sox, Mets, Dodgers, etc. They've got the cash to make deals like this and not worry about 3 years down the road.

And, if he continues to be productive at current levels for 3 of the 5 years before starting his decline, I imagine they'd be completely content with that.

[RedsManRick]

Including depreciation ($25M in 2015 is worth less than $25M in 2010), that deal pegs him at something like a 5 win player on average over that contract. Considering he's exceeded 5 wins just once (2006), is on the wrong side of 30 and has a body type that doesn't age well, I'd say the Phils overpaid a bit.

However, the name of the game is production, not efficiency. And that sort of production is hard to replace, even if you have the money to do so.

[LoganBuck]

OMG, What will Albert Pujols sign for?

[Brutus]

And he's not exactly as young as you would think... I don't think he made it to the majors until what? 26?

Yeup. He turned 30 this offseason.

[REDblooded]

OMG, What will Albert Pujols sign for?

4billion

[RedsManRick]

OMG, What will Albert Pujols sign for?

I'd guess 8/240. Crazy to think he's 2 months younger than Howard but broke in to the league 5 years earlier.

[REDblooded]

Cards fans seem to think they can get him at 27-28/year... I'm not so sure...

[fearofpopvol1]

Too early to lockup Votto in my opinion...but maybe sometime in the summer or toward the end of the season I would if he continues to do what he's done and doesn't go on the DL.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Our front office is terrible about this. And I don't get it. The last guy they locked up 'long-term' was like Brandon Phillips and that wasn't a true LTC.

Guys like Dunn and Votto should have been taken care of when the time came. That time for Joey Votto is now.

[Brutus]

Too early to lockup Votto in my opinion...but maybe sometime in the summer or toward the end of the season I would if he continues to do what he's done and doesn't go on the DL.

He's eligible for arbitration after the season. No reason not to start now.