Just as the NFL and NBA find themselves in salary pinches, the MLB continues to head due north.

Somehow, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Ryan Howard to a five-year extension at $25 million per. My first and only thought:

W-W-WHATTT?!?!?

As noted by MLB insider Keith Law, Howard is a great, but not elite, position player. Sure he’s got serious power, and is a legit cleanup hitter for one of the best teams in the league, but he’s got big flaws.

Strikeouts. Hitting vs. lefties. Fielding. His size. And strikeouts - yea, it’s worth mentioning twice.

Howard is entering a realm where only one player has ever seen - earning $25 million-plus for a (full - sorry Roger Clemens) season’s work.

The Phillies’ first basemen is in no way deserving of being in that class. And from here, you’re going to see a cataclysmic domino effect, starting with Phat Albert Pujols.

Bobby Cox said he’s worth $50 mil. Law said $40 mil. I say he’s worth right in the middle - $45 mil - but will sign a 5-year, $200 million contract.

Yep, $40 mil per.

Pujols is far, far superior not only to Howard, but to every other position player in the Majors. Keep in mind, this guy has put up inhuman numbers with back issues. When he gets healthy - which it looks like he is now - he is a .400 BA threat, a 65 HR threat, a 200 RBI threat, and a .550 OBP threat.

And now, with Howard earning a $125 million deal over five years, the Cards are going to pay up.

Then, watch some more salaries. Prince Fielder, Evan Longoria, Ryan Braun - when these young studs are ready to re-up, they’ll all be looking at $30 mil-plus. And all of the sudden, we’re going to have an overpaid, bloated league that will cause extranneous numbers - for example, ticket prices - to spiral out of control.