Anybody in need of a former MVP candidate who looks lost at the plate and comes with a massive contract? No? Me either, though the Philadelphia Phillies hope somebody is out there willing to trade for Ryan Howard.
The first baseman who has fallen on extremely hard times has been on the trade block for quite some time, though has received little action outside of a few small rumors. All that said, the Phillies appear “motivated” to trade Howard according to Fox Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies are motivated to trade Ryan Howard for a reason that has nothing to do with his career-low .690 OPS in 2014, major-league-leading 190 strikeouts or onerous contract.
Ken Rosenthal suggests more than Ryan Howard’s slumping stats, the team wants to make sure they have enough spots open to evaluate Darin Ruf and Maikel Franco, something they would not have if they were to play Ryan Howard.
There is the obvious suggestion that the Phillies could simply staple Howard to the bench, though not only will he be unhappy but what little trade value he has will be completely diminished and Philadelphia will likely have to eat his entire contract. Right now they can probably get away with paying between half to three-quarters and possibly get a middle of the road prospect in return, which isn’t a lot but better than nothing.
Earlier in the offseason the Kansas City Royals were said to have interest in Howard though such talk quickly died down.
