No doubt that Milwaukee officials were watching closely Thursday as arbitrators handed Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard a one-year, $10 million present.
And no doubt that Brewers first sacker Prince Fielder and agent Scott Boras smiled simultaneously when they heard the news.
Howard belted 47 homers and knocked in 136 runs but batted .268 and struck out a whopping 199 times. He had slammed 58 round-trippers, brought home 149 and hit a sparkling .313 in 2006 after recording 22 HRs and 63 RBIs in 88 games to claim the National League's Rookie of the Year award in '05.
The 28-year-old Howard won't become a free agent until after the 2011 season, although the Phillies, who offered $7 million in arbitration, certainly will attempt to work out a long-term deal before that.
Fielder, only 23, has hammered NL hurlers for similar numbers. He smacked 50 homers, the youngest player in Major League history to reach that plateau, knocked in 119 and batted .288 last summer. His rookie numbers were 28, 81 and .271, respectively.
The rotund vegetarian made $415,000 last year and should approach Howard's 2007 salary of $900,000 when he inks a contract for the upcoming season. And that should set the stage for a similar asking price in '09 in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
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