Perhaps one of the biggest stories to watch unfold this offseason will be the fate of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, whom the team is believed to actively be looking to trade. Finding an acceptable suitor, however, doesn’t figure to be an easy challenge for GM Ruben Amaro and the Phillies thanks to Howard’s recent production and his remaining contract.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Kansas City Royals – the same team who surprised the baseball world with their run to the 2014 World Series and who’s payroll has remained consistent with that of a small/mid market team – might prove to be an option for Howard, depending on how much of his remaining deal the Phillies will cover:
"They are intent on dumping first baseman Ryan Howard and the remaining $60 million on his contract, but after finding no takers during the season, they have surprising interest from a small-market club with one of baseball’s lowest payrolls:The Royals.The Royals aren’t about to rip up their payroll, and David Glass suddenly isn’t about to go all Steinbrenner on us, but if the Phillies are willing to eat most of the contract, the Royals have had internal discussions about acquiring him."
The idea, at Nightengale points out, would be to have Howard essentially replace the likely-departing Billy Butler as the Royals’ primary DH and backup first baseman. There’s a lot of reason to think that such a move might make some sense for Kansas City.
Butler, 28, has spent his entire eight year career with the Royals before the team declined a $12 million option they had on him for the upcoming season. Butler largely struggled at the plate this past season. He hit .271/.323/.379 in 603 plate appearances, with just nine home runs – his lowest yearly total to date outside of his rookie season when he hit eight in half the at bats. The .323 on base percentage and .379 slugging percentage were the lowest marks of his career.
The 37 games Butler played at first base were his highest total of his career for the long time designated hitter, but he’s hardly an everyday option for the field which also limits his value. Butler hit .262/.327/.333 in 49 PA during the postseason, coming off the bench in games without the DH. For a player who is so heavily bat-first, there’s reason to think that the Royals could get more for their $12 million.
Howard, meanwhile, batted .223/.310/.380 in 2014 over 648 PA. The left-handed hitter hit 23 home runs, almost equaling his total from the previous two seasons combined, but did strike out an NL-leading 190 times. Howard will be 35 later this month and his health has been a question in recent years, further pushing the idea that he would benefit from not playing the field daily but without the DH, the Phillies have little choice. The former NL MVP is under contract for two more years, assuming the 2017 team option is bought out.
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Kansas City reached the World Series this past season with a lineup built around defense and speed, lacking a true home run threat. Some believe such a presence on the roster may have made a difference in the postseason – though there’s no way to assume that anyone could have hit Madison Bumgarner in the World Series – but the void of power is certainly something that the organization has promised to address this winter.
It remains to be seen what the Phillies are asking teams for in return for Howard and we don’t yet know how much of his contract they are willing to absorb. Even if the Royals appear to be a fit on paper when additional details emerge, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be the team most aggressively pursuing him in the end.