Rich Hofmann: Ruben likes Howard pact even better now

WYOMISSING - Word arrived during the afternoon that the Detroit Tigers had made Prince Fielder an emperor - 9 years, $214 million, all hail. Weeks before that, it had been 10 years and $240 million from the Los Angeles Angels for Albert Pujols. Meanwhile, starting this season, Ryan Howard and his recovering Achilles' will begin his 5-year, $125 million deal.

All of which leaves Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. feeling, well, how?

"I'm kind of happy," he said. "Really happy. Because if I would have had to put an 8- or 9-year deal on Howard's deal right now, that would be a little disconcerting. Right now, we have Howard for the next 5 years. I kind of like that idea rather than having to do an 8- or 9- or 10-year deal.

"You can say what you want about Ryan Howard and how he stacks up against those guys, but there's not too many people who, over the last several years, have had this kind of production - and he's right there in the mix with those guys."

The contracts rank in this order: Pujols, Fielder, Howard. This makes sense, because that is how the players rank in most people's minds. What was an eyebrow-raising, market-setting contract extension when Howard signed it a couple of years ago looks a little bit different now that the market has played out.

Howard still has the highest average per year, but the total financial commitment is much smaller. That is just the numbers and really is not open to argument.

But this is: Howard's future.

His decline over the last two seasons has been dutifully noted. Again, the realities of the marketplace do not make Howard's a bad contract. But if we already have seen his best days, the deal will have been too much - and if we are witnessing the start of a boulder gathering speed down a steep hill, the deal will be a disaster.

So have we seen his best days? Amaro insists we have not, and points to the fact that while he was in a hotel ballroom last night eating banquet food, Howard was in Clearwater, meeting with Phils manager Charlie Manuel and talking about altering his hitting approach in 2012, whenever 2012 begins for him following Achilles' surgery in October.