Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The “Big Piece,” as Charlie Manuel used to call him has frustrated and thrilled Phillies fans since he won Rookie of the Year in 2005. From 2006-2010, no one in baseball hit more homers or knocked in more runs than Howard (229 and 680 respectively) and he won a MVP award in 2006 when he smashed 58 round-trippers. He clearly was one of the most feared power hitters in baseball for a good half-decade.
The Phillies signed his to a five-year, $125 million deal prior to the 2012 season and due to an Achilles injury on the final play of the 2001 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, Howard has yet to return to form. In the last two years he’s only played 151 games and hit 25 homers in that span. With three years left on the deal, the Phillies are praying that Howard can stay healthy and play to a level that is remotely worthy of such a big deal. A contract like this is impossible to move barring the Phillies being willing to pay some of it; however, the Phillies aren’t a team that historically does that, plus Howard has absolutely zero desirability at this point.