Jayson Stark: Ryan Howard Ready to Rumble

For one thing, the two sides haven’t spent 10 seconds talking about a deal since the arbitration hearing. For another, Howard and agent Casey Close continue to position him as an unprecedented player, who therefore deserves an unprecedented contract.

So there’s no sign they view the Cabrera deal as being any more applicable to Howard’s situation than, say, what Mark Teixeira will get in free agency this winter or what Matt Holliday will rake in the winter after that.

Which means that eventually, the Phillies’ biggest decision almost certainly isn’t going to be what to pay Howard. It’s when to trade Howard.