Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Kansas City Royals have internally discussed acquiring Ryan Howard, if the Philadelphia Phillies are willing to play for the bulk of his remaining $60-million contract. The left-handed power hitting Howard could fill the empty space left by designated hitter Billy Butler, who be a free agent once the Royals opt to not pick up his $12.5-million option.
Also, the Phillies are entering a rebuilding mode and it has been reported that they are going to clean the house. That is another reason why they are trying to trade Cole Hamels for three top prospects. The Hamels trade would most likely involve the Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox. If the Phillies do fully clean out their high payed players it will be a few years before they compete at a high level.
“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,” Nightengale reports. “They believe he just might be the perfect fit to replace Billy Butler as their everyday DH, and considering they didn’t have a single player hit 20 homers or drive in 75 runs last year, he may be the power threat the Royals need to return to the World Series.”
Following two injured seasons, Howard appeared in 153 games in 2014, hitting .223/.310/.380 with 23 home runs, 95 RBIs and 190 strikeouts.
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