Phillies rumors: Club ‘getting feelers’ on Ryan Howard

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

With less than a week until the MLB's non-waiver trade deadline passes, the Philadelphia Phillies appear to be getting interest on a player that nearly no one expected to be moved. 

According to John Perrotto of Today's Knuckleball, teams have called the Phillies about first baseman Ryan Howard: 

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.

“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.”

Howard, 36, is in the midst of the worst season of his big league career. The former National League MVP is batting just .159 with 14 home runs in 2016. He's on pace to post career lows in on-base percentage and slugging percentage as well. That said, his 14 home runs this season suggest that he's still capable of providing occasional power, which could make sense for a contender in a role like what the scout quoted in the article said. 

Simply because the Phillies are "getting feelers" on Howard does not mean that he will be moved before the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline. It's possible, but it's also possible that he gets moved in an August waiver deal when he has left money left on his deal for 2016. The Phillies would likely have to eat a large chunk of the remaining money on his deal for 2016, and also a large portion of the $10 million buyout that Howard has for 2017 in a trade.  

In addition to financial concerns that the Phillies and any potential suitor will have to work around, Howard has 10-and-5 rights, meaning he will have to agree to any trade. Though it seems fairly likely that 2016 is his final season in the league, it's possible that he would be hesitant to agree to a trade to join a contender as just a bench piece.