Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is in the midst of the worst season of his big league career. The former National League MVP is hitting just .186 with a .238 on-base percentage in 2016, but that apparently hasn't stopped him from being interested in continuing his career.
The 36-year-old told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki Monday that he and teammate Carlos Ruiz hope to play in 2017:
"We both want to be able to go somewhere and play beyond this year," Howard said. "We've got to try to make the most of what we can while we're still here. … I just keep doing my work. I've been doing this thing for 12 years, playing for 12 years. You figure out how to play the game. That's the game of baseball. Things come in waves. You have good waves and you have bad waves."
Earlier this season, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball noted that Howard hoped to continue his career in 2017. The Phillies own a $23 million option on Howard for 2017 that they will buy out at $10 million, giving Howard his first chance to be a free-agent in his career.
It's unclear what the level of interest in Howard in free-agency would be, if there's any. John Perrotto of Today's Knuckleball reported prior to the league's non-waiver trade deadline that the Phillies 'were getting feelers' on Howard, though he never got traded. While it's still possible he's moved in August, a two month rental market seems like it would have worked more to his advantage than free-agency potentially could. Contenders often look for someone who could help sway a playoff series with one swing later in the season. A market for such a player in the off-season may not be as strong.
In all likelihood, if Howard is to get an opportunity this off-season, it will be on a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training, much like his long-time teammate Jimmy Rollins got this spring. While Howard does have 16 home runs this season, it's a near lock that no National League team would have interest in him, and given that he would only be a DH option against right-handed pitching, it's hard to see him making a team in 2017.
Within the last week, two New York Yankees who played in the 2009 World Series — Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira — announced their retirements. It's possible that numerous players who played for the Phillies in the 2009 World Series — Howard, Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins — will end up with a similar fate in 2017, whether they choose it or not.
