Phillies' Howard Wins $10M in Arbitration

First baseman gets record amount after rejecting smaller deal

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 21, 2008 7:45 PM CST

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Phillies' Howard Wins $10M in Arbitration — Philaldelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard, who showed up early to camp, smiles while standing with the pitchers and catchers on their first day of spring training baseball in Clearwater, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. Howard won his arbitration case today, securing a record $10 million. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) (Associated Press)

Philadelphia Phillies’ Ryan Howard won big in his salary arbitration case today, getting $10 million instead of the $7 million his team had offered, the AP reports. The figure is the highest salary a player has scooped in an arbitration victory. “We negotiated right up to the courthouse steps,” said a Phillies official, but “we couldn’t get it done.”

Still, no hard feelings, the assistant GM said: proceedings were “amicable.” The victory may pave the way for big future demands expected from the first-baseman, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. As for Howard himself: “My reaction is mostly relief now that the whole process is over,” reports MLB.com. But he’ll be “picking up the tabs on dinners from now on," said a teammate. (More Philadelphia Phillies stories.)

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