In a marketing gimmick, an Atlantic League baseball team is marketing itself by claiming it is trying to acquire Ryan Howard. Since the Phillies are reportedly willing to eat $50 million of the $60 million left on Howard's deal. Could a small, independent baseball team come up with that $10 million to have Howard for two years? The York Revs are at least throwing out the possibility.
The team's website explains the strategy:
News broke on Wednesday, March 18 that the Philadelphia Phillies are willing to pay $50 million of the $60 million still owed to Ryan Howard over the final two years of his contract, in order to trade the first baseman.
After a quick look at the numbers, this left the York Revolution of the Atlantic League roughly $9,997,000 short of the funds required to put Howard in a Revolution uniform for the 2015 season. An Atlantic League maximum salary is roughly $3,000 per month.
The Revolution, whose fans responded to such time-honored baseball traditions as monkeys dressed as cowboys riding dogs to raise the team’s attendance by 5% in 2014, has turned back to those fans hoping the support will continue.
“If there are roughly 400,000 people living in York County, we only need $25 from each of them to have the funds necessary to put Ryan Howard in a Revolution uniform,” surmised York General Manager John Gibson. “Some dads might have to dock a kid’s allowance for a couple weeks, big deal,” Gibson continued.
This would indeed be the best thing to happen to the Revs since monkeys dressed as cowboys.
An average Atlantic League salary is $2000.00 a month, with the maximum salary $3000.00 a month. Plenty of former Major League players have passed through the Atlantic League including oufielder Ruben Sierra and Mitch Williams.
The team does not appear to be serious, of course, but if those 400,000 all contributed the $25, the team would have to consider it. York is about 100 miles west of Philadelphia.
