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Ryan Howard Extension Reactions

The Phillies signed slugger Ryan Howard to a five-year, $125MM extension today.  The contract begins with the 2012 season and includes a 2017 option and a limited no-trade clause.  At $25MM per year, Howard's deal ranks third in baseball history for average annual value.  Unsurprisingly, the megadeal has not been well-received by analysts...

• ESPN's Rob Neyer considers the contract "a testament to old-school ignorance" and "a big bowl of wrong."
• Neyer's colleague Keith Law says the deal is "an overpay in both years and dollars."
• FanGraphs' Matthew Carruth says we should "say hello to baseball's newest worst contract."  Carruth's colleague Dave Cameron agrees, and tweets that Howard's salary will serve as a full no-trade clause.
• Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk believes the Phillies would've been better off waiting.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees, but in a video piece attempts to explain where the Phillies were coming from. 
• SI's Jon Heyman tweets a diferent point of view, saying the deal represents a "good job by the Phillies" and is "just about right" for Howard.

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