By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor

It’s safe to say that White Sox GM Kenny Williams spit up his coffee when the Phillies inked Ryan Howard to a $25 million per year extension last year. Let’s face it, that contract set the stage for Albert Pujols’ demands that are in the range of $30 million a year. We all love Howard, but Pujols is a better all-around player. Logic dictates he gets more cash.

While Williams says he wasn’t directing comments at Pujols, he did say any deal that pays someone $30 million a year is “asinine.” He also said he would support another 1994 fiasco if that is what baseball has come to. MLB’s CBA is up after this season.

Albert Pujols is werth more than Ryan Howard's $25 million annual contract. Kenny Williams thinks Pujols, or anyone else, pushing the $30 million a year envelope is 'asinine."

Williams told Comcast SportsNet of Chicago:

“For the game’s health as a whole, when we’re talking about $30 million players, I think it’s asinine.

“We have gotten to the point of no return. Something has to happen. And if it means the game being shut down for the sake of bringing sanity to it, to franchises that aren’t going to stop the insanity, I’m all for it. … You’re not going to get any disagreement from me or argument from me if the game is shut down for a while until something is put in place where there is some sort of (salary) cap on the board.”

Honestly, with Howard’s deal, it’s only a matter of time until someone gets $30 million annually. Williams is right to be concerned, but the fact is that big market baseball teams will pay players to keep championship-caliber players and teams together.

If anything, he should have a bigger issue with Jayson Werth getting his $125 million over seven years. Werth is a solid player and an all-star, but he’s still not a HOF caliber player who should be earning that coin.

Of course, we also chalk this up to jealousy as Williams runs the second baseball team in Chicago and likely can’t afford a Pujols, or a Howard.