Ryan Howard needs to go. I do not say that with any animosity toward Howard; you can consider me one of his supporters. I will not boo Howard. However, with each passing day in which Howard is a member of the Phillies, his Rookie of the Year season, MVP season, and the 2008 and 2009 World Series teams are tarnished. Phillies management may have been too attached to Howard to let him go, but by keeping him, they are doing more harm than good.
The Phillies tried their best to use Spring Training to showcase Howard, playing Howard almost every day of the Spring, even on the road when the veterans stay home. It didn't work. The Phillies cannot find a taker who will either pay any of Howard's salary or give the Phillies a prospect. And now, Howard is scuffling trying to
David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote today:
…eight games are what we have at our disposal, and the fact is Howard has been abysmal against a pitch he used to destroy with regularity, a pitch whose obliteration used to make up for the flaws in his swing. Heading into last night's game against the Mets, in which Darin Ruf started at first base against lefty Jon Niese, Howard was averaging a swing-and-miss every five fastballs, nearly double his career whiff rate against the hard stuff. And he has seen plenty of hard stuff. Nearly 65 percent of all of his pitches have been four-seamers or sinkers. Seven of his 10 strikeouts have come on those pitches.
Every swing and miss is exacerbated by Phillies fans.
To find a taker for Howard, the Phillies would have to take back another overpaid player that that team does not want. The Angels might be that team. Josh Hamilton is recovering from a shoulder injury that will keep him out six to 12 weeks, according to reports. But after a drug relapse, Hamilton is not welcome in Anaheim anymore.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels and Hamilton could be in for a fight over whether or not the Angels have to pay Hamilton. Angels owner Arte Moreno seems to want Hamilton out of town:
Moreno said last week that he might try to enforce contract language that he said protected the Angels against a substance-abuse relapse by Hamilton. Within hours, the union issued a sharply worded statement that said provisions of baseball's collectively bargained drug policy "supersede all other player contract provisions and explicitly prevent clubs from exactly the type of action Mr. Moreno alluded to."
However, MLB chief legal officer Dan Halem told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday: "We obviously have a different view than the players' association regarding the club's rights under these circumstances."
Despite this, it would be hard to believe that the Angels win. An arbiter determined that Hamilton was not to be suspended for his relapse, so Hamilton could be ready to play soon.
If the Angels are willing to pay the difference in salary between Howard and Hamilton, the two teams could have a match. Hamilton is earning $25.4 million in 2015 and is due $32.4 million in both 2016 and 2017, for a total of $90.2 million. Howard is due $60 million, including 2015. This could work to the Phillies' advantage.
The two salaries are pretty much a wash in 2015. If the Angels were willing to distribute that $30 million difference over 2016 and 2017 so that the Phillies paid Hamilton $17.4 million in 2016 and 2017, that would spread out the money some, to the Phillies' advantage. Then, if the Phillies ever need to cut Hamilton, the hit would not be so substantial.
One advantage to the Phillies would be freeing up an infield spot, that they will soon need for Maikel Franco. Or, the Phillies could have some flexibility in moving Chase Utley to first base or finally give Darin Ruf a chance for some regular at bats. Whichever they decide, the Phillies will have some options.
What would Josh Hamilton give the Phillies? That is hard to say. Hamilton's last full year in 2013 yielded similar enough results to Howard's 2014. Hamilton could be worse than Howard at the plate. But, it could be an opportunity to finally move on from Ryan Howard so the Phillies can no longer damage the memory of the 2008 World Champions.
