The Phillies have signed first baseman Ryan Howard to a 5 years, $125MM extension this afternoon, according to Jim Salisbury of the CSN. The contract takes effect after the 2011 season, which he was already under contract for; it covers 2012 through 2016, with a $23MM option for 2017 ($10MM buyout). It also includes a limited no-trade clause.
This must make Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Adrian Gonzalez pretty happy for a couple of reasons. All are free agents in 2012 and that is one less big name on the market; it also means there is one less big money team to sign them. All 3 have to be looking at the average annual value of $25MM.
Now the Phillies will look to Jayson Werth, who is a free agent after this season. He’s expected to get some large offers, specifically from the Yankees.
