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Phillies Notebook: Will Jayson Werth get new deal from Phillies?

SAN FRANCISCO - Invoking his usual dry wit, Jayson Werth said that, no, he and his agent have not had any serious negotiations with the Phillies on a contract extension.

Jayson Werth will be a free agent after 2010. (Yong Kim/Staff file photo)
Jayson Werth will be a free agent after 2010. (Yong Kim/Staff file photo)Read more

SAN FRANCISCO - Invoking his usual dry wit, Jayson Werth said that, no, he and his agent have not had any serious negotiations with the Phillies on a contract extension.

"I think they've been busy with Ryan," the rightfielder said.

The Phillies answered one of the biggest questions about the direction of their franchise yesterday when they announced a 5-year, $125 million contract extension with Ryan Howard that runs through the 2016 season, with a club option for 2017.

But in doing so, they raised a slew of other queries, the most immediate of which involves the future of the lone righthanded power bat in their lineup. And, at least for the moment, the answer to that one remains the same.

Because while the Phillies' decision to extend Howard's contract resulted in the 14th-richest deal in major league history, it did not affect the bottom line next season. They did not save any money in 2011, and still have approximately $130.85 million committed to 15 players. That means there is still reason to wonder whether they will be able to afford a five-tool corner outfielder who could make a strong case that he deserves, at the very least, close to the 4-year, $66 million deal Jason Bay signed with the Mets this offseason.

The Phillies indicated this offseason that they wanted to keep their payroll around $140 million, and that they do not plan on a significant expansion in coming seasons. Simple math suggests that a contract extension for Werth would push them well over that mark before they even begin filling the other nine vacancies on their active roster.

That said, plenty can happen between now and then.

"This is all fresh," said Werth, who is the only member of the lineup who will be a free agent after 2010 (the Phillies picked up shortstop Jimmy Rollins' option for the 2011 season). "I haven't really given it too much thought."

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s public statements since the end of 2009 have contained plenty of ambiguity, and the ones he made at the press conference announcing Howard's signing were no different.

"Naturally, we'd like to keep all those guys," Amaro said, "but we'll go on a case-by-case basis and hopefully we can keep this crew together, but we'll see how all the pieces of the puzzle end up fitting for us."

But why sign Howard now?

Amaro said repeatedly the Phillies thought Howard deserved the deal, which also gives them cost certainty regarding their slugger, something they appear to have made their mission given the multiyear deals awarded to Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz in the offseason.

Of the 13 contracts in major league history that were worth more than Howard's $125 million, only one was given to a player as old as Howard will be when his new extension begins in 2012 (32-year-old Alex Rodriguez in 2007). But even with fellow slugging first basemen Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder due to hit free agency in the next couple of years, and with almost 2 full years left on Howard's current deal, the Phillies felt letting Howard set his own market was worth the risk.

"He's kind of set the market for himself by his performance," Amaro said. "We are typically not a club that sets markets and I don't view this as a market-setting deal. We feel like this is an equitable deal for both sides, and something that he deserves. There's always risk when you do guaranteed deals, but with what Ryan's done and with what we think he is going to do in the future, we think it is a good risk."