By Mary Cunningham
With the MLB trade deadline only five days away, rumors have been flying left and right about which member of the Phillies will be dealt.
But Ryan Howard?
Really?
Even though he slammed 23 homers a season in ‘14 and ‘15, it wasn’t enough to get some team to bite.
However, now that Howard’s monster, $25 million a year deal is almost up, John Perrotto of Today’s Knuckleball reports there is a chance some team could look to acquire The Big Piece before the August 1 trade deadline.
It has long seemed impossible that the Phillies would ever find someone to take first baseman Ryan Howard in a trade. However, they are getting feelers from teams now that his five-year, $125 million contract is nearing its end.
The 36-year-old Howard is hitting just .159 with a .599 OPS in 73 games but has hit 14 home runs in 234 plate appearances.
“I’d take him just to have him come off the bench in a pennant race and the postseason,” an AL scout said. “He’s pretty much at the end of the line but the one thing he can still do is pop a ball out of the ballpark. He might win you a game or two for you that way.”
