By Christopher Reina Usually when people want news to be slipped through without notice, they release it on a Friday. The opposite is true for Mondays, which became "Ryan Howard will earn $25 million annually until he's more than old enough to become a presidential candidate Day". This is extremely painful news for the Cardinals (Albert Pujols), Brewers (Prince Fielder) and Padres/Red Sox (Adrian Gonzalez). All three first basemen will be receiving new contracts in the immediate future and seeing Howard at an annual average of $25 million is outstanding news. Howard's five-year extension is worth $125 million over five seasons and includes a team option for a sixth season with a buyout of $10 million. The annual average is higher than the one that Joe Mauer signed in March just a few months short of becoming a free agent and also higher than Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180 million contract signed on the open market about 16 months ago. Considering Howard was already signed through 2011, isn't as much of an all-around player as those two and doesn't project to have the same kind of longevity, I cannot follow Ruben Amaro's logic on the timing and amount. Howard would have just turned 32 when becoming a free agent after the 2011 season and I don't foresee another team out there that would have offered him more money. The incentive for teams to do deals ahead of free agency is to save on the dollars end to give the player some security, but I don't see the 'take' from Philadelphia's perspective considering all the $125 million they will 'give.' Which teams were the Phillies afraid would snatch Howard from them in free agency? The Yankees already have Teixeira, Boston will presumably have Gonzalez by then, which leaves the Mets unless a team like the Giants surprisingly entered the fray. The gamble of making Howard get an offer that approaches or surpasses $25 million annually from any other team would have been worth it for me. For the Twins, signing Mauer had significance that goes beyond the diamond, something that doesn't have translatable significance to the Phillies. The counterargument from Philadelphia that I could understand is that they didn't want to let Howard have a deal for as much annual money that had more attached years to it, which would then have him earning $25 million until he reaches 40. To be fair, Howard has been one of the game's most productive hitters in the game since hitting 22 homers in 2005 as a 25-year-old rookie. Amongst active hitters with at least 2000 plate appearances, Howard ranks 10th in OPS+ (1), slightly ahead of Fielder, Mauer, Gonzalez and Teixeira. He also has hit more homers in his first six seasons than any other player besides Pujols. Between 2006 and 2009, Howard has hit 198 homers compared to 165 for Pujols, 158 for Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder and 154 for Alex Rodriguez. Howard is largely a two outcome hitter, similar to Dunn, a slugger who found a tepid market for himself in free agency, eventually signing a two-year, $20 million contract with the Nationals. Howard strikes out in over 30% of his at bats and homers in 8.1% of them. Unlike Dunn, Howard doesn't walk very often and his OBP has gone from .425 in his 2006 MVP season down to .392 in 2007, .339 in 2008 and .360 in 2009. The sample size is small this season, but his numbers have not been terribly impressive, hitting three homers and an OPS of .776 (.301/.475). While he has been striking out less, he hasn't been getting the same lift on the ball this season. Howard's HR/FB rate topped out at 39.5% in 2006, but fell down to a more sustainable 31+% in 2007 and 2008 before dipping again to 25.4% in 2009. He is so singularly focused on hitting homers that it should never dip below 40, but he will need more and more big fly attempts to get there, which will keep his OBP down. Also working against Howard Howard has never been a horrible first baseman and he has improved his play there, but he has always looked like the kind of guy who was born to be an American League DH. This really isn't an indictment on Howard as a player because he is one of the more valuable in the entire MLB. There are clearly far fewer pure homer hitters than there were 10 years ago, which puts him in a rare class. I simply feel that any player that is over the $20 million mark annually has to be incredibly special and to be $5 million beyond, he has to be insanely special. If Howard signed a six-year deal worth $120 million, it would have been fairer for both sides. Tangentially, the Phillies will have even greater difficulty re-signing Jayson Werth, but that is where Domonic Brown was probably going to come in regardless. Grade for Phillies: D+ It is a good day to be Casey Close and the future Mrs. Ryan Howard. If only Kelly Kapoor could trade her Ryan Howard for this one. Grade for Ryan Howard: A Note 1.) OPS+ is crucial to look at in regards to Howard since Citizen's Bank is so advantageous for hitters. He is ranked seventh in regular OPS with the same parameters.

The Phillies have signed first baseman Ryan Howard to a five-year, $125 million contract extension. The contract will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2016 season. The extension will kick in during the 2012 season and the deal includes a team option for the 2017 season. It also includes standard award bonuses.

By Christopher Reina An unquestioned late bloomer, Ben Zobrist finally became an everyday major leaguer in 2009 when he hit for an OPS of .948 (.405 OBP, .543 SLG) in 599 plate appearances with the Rays. His full-fledged breakout followed an auspicious 2008 in which he hit for an OPS of .844 in 227 plate appearances in 2008. Zobrist's OBP predictably improved so significantly from 2008 to 2009 because of his jump in BAbip from .252 to .326. His walk rate also increased from 11% of his at bats to a little more than 15%. After stints at Dallas Baptist and Olivet Nazarene, Zobrist was a 6th round selection by the Astros in 2004, but was eventually dealt to Tampa Bay in the Aubrey Huff trade in 2006. The Rays have seen enough of Zobrist to lock him up with a five-year contract extension worth approximately $30 million that will eliminate his arbitration years and also extends into his first two seasons of free agency eligibility. Because Zobrist is a switch-hitter capable of playing more than adequate defense all over the diamond like a slightly younger Mark DeRosa, the Rays don't need to worry about his potentially congesting a specific position to blockd a youngster positionally. Zobrist has started slowly in 2010, hitting for an OPS of .717 (.313 OBP, .403 SLG) through his first 68 plate appearances. He hasn't hit for the same kind of power he did in 2009, still without a homer, but the bigger issue is his walk rate has been cut in half and his strikeouts are up. Hitters are more than capable of having a fluke season, but the fluke usually rests in the .800 OPS range, not all the way up at .948 where the legitimate superstars reside annually. Since the Rays know him better than anyone, I have no legitimate concerns about the beginning of his 2010 season. Even in Zobrist's less productive months in 2009, his OPS was still at .878 (July) and .822 (August). Zobrist ranked second in WAR during the 2009 season amongst hitters, sandwiched between the very deep pockets and immensely talented Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer. Unquestionably, Zobrist is not sustainably at that level of player, but he can drop by half and still be in very good company and deserve every dime of his new deal. This is a continuation of deals Tampa Bay has done with Evan Longoria, James Shields, David Price and also Scott Kazmir before they traded him to the Angels last August. Unlike Longoria and Price, the Rays will absolutely own the entirety of Zobrist's prime since he is an older player that won't become a free agent until he's 33. Grade for Rays: A- This grade assumes the dollar amounts are favorable, as expected with a cost-conscious franchise like Tampa Bay. Most importantly for the franchise, it helps them set a budget over several years by writing down Zobrist's dollar amounts in ink instead of allowing so much to ride on unpredictable arbitration cases. Grade for Ben Zobrist: B+ Zobrist absolutely cannot be faulted for cashing out on his 2009 with the security a multi-year deal brings both in terms of potential injury and also potential declination of his numbers. He could have retained the capacity to make more annually by going to arbitration with his 2009 resume and whatever he might do in terms of production in 2010 and beyond, but that of course would not have been financially prudent. Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cr_reina.

The Orioles have signed veteran outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor-league deal. Patterson will report to extended spring training on Thursday. He played for the Orioles in 2006 and '07, batting a combined .273 with 24 homers and 98 RBIs in 267 games

A female knuckleball pitcher from Japan will be playing for a minor league team in the United States. Eri Yoshida, 18, signed with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League. "I am grateful for this opportunity to pitch for the Chico Outlaws," Yoshida said. "This is a dream come true for me and I hope I can contribute to the team and help them win and also to continue to improve as a pro baseball player."

Yovani Gallardo and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a $30.1 million, five-year contract, a deal that could be worth $42.5 million over six seasons. The agreement covers the right-handers arbitration-eligible years and the first season after he would have become eligible for free agency. Gallardo receives a $1.25 million signing bonus: $500,000 payable when the contract is approved by Major League Baseball, $500,000 on July 15 and $500,000 on Nov. 15. He gets salaries of $500,000 this year, $3.25 million next season, $5.5 million in 2012, $7.75 million in 2013 and $11.25 million in 2014. Milwaukee holds a $13 million option for 2015 with a $600,000 buyout. RealGM Note: Gallardo was ranked 57th in season FIC in 2009 and 'deserved' to make $12M, giving him a Reina Value of +2771%.

The Blue Jays have signed outfielder Adam Lind to a four-year, $18 million contract. The contract runs through the 2013 season and includes club options through 2016. Lind hit .305 last year with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs. "It will mean a lot for my parents, for my future kids, just so they can do what they want and they can go to the schools that they want and they can breathe for the rest of their lives," Lind said Saturday.