Howard, Phillies reach agreement on $54M contract

Ryan Howard becomes baseball's second-highest paid first baseman and richest Phillie by agreeing on a deal that averages $18 million per season over three seasons. Summary: The 29-year-old will earn $15 million in 2009, $19 million in 2010 and $20 million in 2011, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, taking him through his arbitration years. For more contract details, check out David Murphy's blog here. Howard and the Phils had been $4 million apart in negotiations with Howard asking for...