Should the Yankees Consider Ryan Howard?

There used to be a time that Ryan Howard would be on every fan and GM’s list of wants. His raw power from the left side of the plate creates continuous mismatches. Howard put together a pretty nice list of achievements to show his worth, too. They include a Silver Slugger, MVP, Rookie of the Year, and three All-Star appearances. He was an unstoppable force for period of time (2006-2011).

In all six seasons he batted in over 100 RBI’s and in three out of six he batted in over 140 RBI’s. Furthermore, he belted 262 home runs in those seasons and had over a .500 slugging percentage in five out of six of those seasons.

A recent report on Howard’s contract indicate that he has a no-trade clause to 20 MLB teams and among the nine he has no say on includes the New York Yankees. The idea of a Howard’s left handed power in the Yankee pinstripes gives me goosebumps. However, that is the thought of the former version of Howard in pinstripes.

The post 2011 Howard is a sad shell of he who used to be. At 35 years-old he is on the decline of his career. In 2012 and 2013 he missed a total of 173 games because of injuries and despite appearing in 153 games in 2014, he did not put up numbers deserving of his massive contract. He is owed $25 million in the next two seasons and owed $23 million in 2017 with a $10 million buy out. That amounts to at least a guaranteed $60 million in three seasons.

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Even outside of money and a declining lack of production the Yankees simply do not need Howard. The places they could play him have already been addressed in the off-season.

First base is locked up by Mark Teixeira and the Yankees traded for a backup in Garrett Jones. Also, the DH slot is locked up with Jones, Carlos Beltran, and Alex Rodriguez taking turns. I believe that Howard is an appealing option, especially with the short right field porch, but the steep price would not be worth it.

The Philadelphia Phillies have made it no secret that they are shopping their team. They traded one of their former big stars in Jimmy Rollins and shipped off Marlon Byrd as well. It was rumored that they were trying to package Howard in deals but no teams bit.

The Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr admitted that he confronted Howard that the team and himself would be better if they parted ways. It is like an awkward high school break up and hopefully the Yankees won’t be a part of it.