By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
File this one under the "Twitter bomb" category.
According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Atlanta Braves are signing Ryan Howard to a minor league deal:
The Braves have signed Ryan Howard to a Minor League deal. He'll go to extended Spring Training and then likely join Triple-A Gwinnett
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 6, 2017
The former National League MVP seemed to garner little interest this offseason, certainly from National League teams. It seemed that if Howard's career was going to continue after the Phillies declined his 2017 option, it was going to have to be in the American League, where he could serve as a DH.
In signing with the Braves organization, Howard seems to be guaranteed little. The 37-year-old wasn't with a club during Spring Training, so as Bowman says, he will be sent to extended Spring Training. From there, he'll likely be slotted at Triple-A, with no guarantee that he is ever called up the major league club.
With Freddie Freeman entrenched at first base, perhaps the Braves are content to keep Howard in their organization in case he does heat up power wise. While his limited skill set may not be especially valuable to a major league team now, if he gets into a streak of hitting home runs in August or September, perhaps that would make him a worthy bench piece if the Braves are contending.
Howard, who has over 50 career home runs against the Braves, slashed .196/.257/.453 in his final season with the Phillies, while hitting 25 home runs and driving in 59 runs. In parts of 13 years with the Phillies, Howard hit 382 home runs, which is good for second in franchise history, and drove in 1,194 runs, all while being part of perhaps the most successful run in franchise history.
We will have more on this story as it comes in…
