Current Event #1

Summary: This article talks about the lack of sense the Phillies seem to have in signing slugger Ryan Howard to a five year $125 million contract. This contracts keeps Howard as a member of the Phillies into his mid to late 30s, when player's production typically begins to decline. This deal is questioned because it goes against the style in which the Phillies have built their mini-dynasty, with short contracts. The deal guarantees a lot of money to Howard for unknown levels of production.

Opinion: I think that the Howard deal is extreme and will eventually hurt the Phillies. While Howard is a great player, the Phillies can't be certain that he will continue to produce at the same level into his mid 30s. Because of this $25 million a year is too much. First base is a position that can easily be replaced due to a lot of talent, so locking up so much money in Howard is a bit ridiculous. This deal could either guarantee the Phillies success or cause them to lag behind the rest of the NL East.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/baseball-insider/2010/04/howard_contract_good_news_for.html