Ryan Howard wants $18 million

[homer]

The Philadelphia Phillies first baseman asked for $18 million in arbitration Tuesday, the third-highest figure submitted since the process began in 1974.

Philadelphia offered $14 million to the 2006 NL MVP, who is not eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season. Howard had a major league-leading 48 homers and 146 RBIs last year, helping the Phillies win their first World Series title since 1980. Before the season, he was awarded $10 million in arbitration rather than Philadelphia's $7 million offer.

Houston pitcher Roger Clemens set the record for highest request in arbitration at $22 million in 2005. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is second at $18.5 million in 2001.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20090120_ap_ryanhowardasksfor18millioninarbitration.html

[Gizzmonic]

They had a long discussion about this on Baseball This Morning (XM/Sirius) this morning.

I don't think Ryan Howard is worth the $18 mil.  He hits a ton of homers, but he also plays in a bandbox.  He's prone to month-long slumps, and he doesn't hit LHP very well.  He can be neutralized with a left-handed specialist in the late innings. 

[JimR]

They had a long discussion about this on Baseball This Morning (XM/Sirius) this morning.

I don't think Ryan Howard is worth the $18 mil.  He hits a ton of homers, but he also plays in a bandbox.  He's prone to month-long slumps, and he doesn't hit LHP very well.  He can be neutralized with a left-handed specialist in the late innings. 

so, HRs hit in a "bandbox" do not count? how many HRs are you taking away from Ruth and Gehrig? RF was less than 300 down the line.

[Gizzmonic]

so, HRs hit in a "bandbox" do not count? how many HRs are you taking away from Ruth and Gehrig? RF was less than 300 down the line.

If Babe Ruth was up for arbitration, I'm sure the Yankees' team would bring up the same point.

[Limey]

Forget about the homers (his home/road split is virtually even), take a look at the walks to strikeouts.  Oy!

199 Ks.  81 BBs (no idea how many were intentional, but I bet it was a bunch).

Did I mention 199 Ks?  That was in 2008.  It took me a while to see that I wasn't reading the table wrong and realised that he posted exactly that same number - 199 - in 2007.  Only 181 in 2006.  His BA came down over those three years; his OBP came down over those three years; his SLG% came down over those three years!

He's basically getting less and less productive while pitchers figure out that he'll swing at anything and he believes his own publicity.  $18mm isn't going to help that situation any.  He still racks up +/- 140 ribs a year, and that's nice, but Howard is one damn expensive air conditioner otherwise.

[Gizzmonic]

Also, he does Subway commercials, which probably means he hangs out with Jared from Subway.  A major character flaw, in my opinion...

ETA: link to Ryan Howard/Jared commercial.

[Limey]

Also, he does Subway commercials, which probably means he hangs out with Jared from Subway.  A major character flaw, in my opinion...

What does he do?  Point at Jared's sammidge and say "You gonna eat that?"

[Mr. Happy]

I say he gets the 14, for the reasons expressed herein above.

[Gizzmonic]

What does he do?  Point at Jared's sammidge and say "You gonna eat that?"

He goes out clubbing with Jared and Jared "makes it rain" with 5 dollar footlongs pulled from his giant fat pants (he carries these everywhere).  All the ladies in the club are totally excited and doing the 5 dollar footlong dance, but then Jared accidentally shoots himself in the thigh when his 9mm falls out.

[strosrays]

They had a long discussion about this on Baseball This Morning (XM/Sirius) this morning.

I don't think Ryan Howard is worth the $18 mil.  He hits a ton of homers, but he also plays in a bandbox.  He's prone to month-long slumps, and he doesn't hit LHP very well.  He can be neutralized with a left-handed specialist in the late innings. 

48 HRs.  146 RBIs.  Think about those numbers again.

Within the context of the current salary structure, Howard is worth every penny of the 18 mil. He is one of the best players in the league, and HUGE-ly important to the Phillies.

Howard came up relatively late, and isn't eligible for free agency until he is 32.  I imagine he is trying to cash in while he is in his prime.  Big endomorphic guys like him sometimes don't last very deep into their thirties.  (see Vaughn, Mo; Fielder, Cecil; or Luzinski, Greg)

Of course, all this is just my subjective opinion.  In reality, Howard is "worth" whatever amount he gets on the market.

[JimR]

48 HRs.  146 RBIs.  Think about those numbers again.

indeed. hard for me to describe that an "unproductive."

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

$14 million buys 2,800,000 5 dollar foot longs.
$18 million buys 3,600,000 5 dollar foot longs.

That's a difference of 1,200,000 5 dollar foot longs.

The Phillies total attendance last year for the regular season was 3,422,583. If they don't pay him $18 million, how will he feed all the fans? If they do pay him the $18 million he can feed all the fans and still have 177,417 for him (1 a day for 486 years). Or 354,834 for Jared.

[BizidyDizidy]

$14 million buys 2,800,000 5 dollar foot longs.
$18 million buys 3,600,000 5 dollar foot longs.

That's a difference of 1,200,000 5 dollar foot longs.

The Phillies total attendance last year for the regular season was 3,422,583. If they don't pay him $18 million, how will he feed all the fans? If they do pay him the $18 million he can feed all the fans and still have 177,417 for him (1 a day for 486 years). Or 354,834 for Jared.

Were you Bernie Madoffs auditor by any chance?

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Were you Bernie Madoffs auditor by any chance?

Go ahead and make fun of me. But, the next time someone says, "what can you do with $18 million that you can't do with with $14 million?"

[BizidyDizidy]

Were you Bernie Madoffs auditor by any chance?

I'm more concerned about the number of foot longs you're promising.

[Gizzmonic]

I'm more concerned about the number of foot longs you're promising.

Must...not..say..."that's what she said..."

[HudsonHawk]

Go ahead and make fun of me. But, the next time someone says, "what can you do with $18 million that you can't do with with $14 million?"

The difference between 3,600,000 and 2,800,000 is 800,000, not 1,200,000.  That's 400,000 foot-longs you're promising that you can't deliver.  There'd be riots in the street, I tells ya!

[Limey]

Were you Bernie Madoffs auditor by any chance?

Per SNL's Weekend Update:

The national debt topped $10 trillion recently.  In fact, if you laid out 10 trillion end-to-end in one dollar bills...Bernie Madoff would steal most of it.

[das]

The difference between 3,600,000 and 2,800,000 is 800,000, not 1,200,000.  That's 400,000 foot-longs you're promising that you can't deliver.  There'd be riots in the street, I tells ya!

I bet the mysterious missing 400,000 subs can be found hoarded in the backwaters of Louisiana if they were, in fact, meatball subs.

[BizidyDizidy]

The difference between 3,600,000 and 2,800,000 is 800,000, not 1,200,000.  That's 400,000 foot-longs you're promising that you can't deliver.  There'd be riots in the street, I tells ya!

I was trying to hint at this but didn't seem to get anywhere.

[austro]

I bet the mysterious missing 400,000 subs can be found hoarded in the backwaters of Louisiana if they were, in fact, meatball subs.

Or in a Louisiana congress-critter's refrigerator.

[homer]

Howard gets 3 years, $54 million.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090208&content_id=3809228&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

[Limey]

Howard gets 3 years, $54 million.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090208&content_id=3809228&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

Noe, what's 54 divided by 3?

[Mr. Happy]

Howard gets 3 years, $54 million.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090208&content_id=3809228&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

Obviously, the battle there was over the length of the contract.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Obviously, the battle there was over the length of the contract.

Remember he was asking for enough money to buy 3,600,000 $5.00 footlongs in arbitration and the club was offering enough to buy 2,800,000 $5.00 footlongs.