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Philadelphia Phillies‘ first baseman Ryan Howard stayed healthy (153 games) while hitting 23 home runs and driving in 95 runs in 2014, but otherwise the last three seasons have been largely forgettable. The Phillies would surely like to trade him, if only for financial reasons since he is due $25 million this season and next with a $23 million team option ($10 million buyout) for 2017, but up until recently Howard’s value has been at a low point.
Howard hit just .180 with one home run and four RBI through his first 14 games this season, but since then he is hitting .313 with nine home runs, 19 RBI and a 1.035 OPS over 106 plate appearances (27 games). That includes home runs in three of his last four games, which has reignited trade speculation surrounding the 2006 National League MVP.
Eric Seidman of CSN Philly.com suggested that Howard has recovered some trade value with his recent hot streak, and his defensive deficiencies make him a fit for the American League. Seidman mentions the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins as teams that could have interest in Howard, since all three have not gotten great production from their designated hitters to this point in the season.
The Phillies will definitely have to be willing to pay some of the money Howard is due to make a trade happen, with the Twins or anyone else. But even without big financial concerns attached to him, Howard is not a good fit for the Twins and he’s a fairly risky acquisition going forward.
Howard’s recent hot streak has been boosted by an elevated BABIP (.344), so when things normalize we’ll see a correction and the drop-off could be dramatic. Buying high on a 35-year old that is essentially a platoon player (31 at-bats against left-handed pitching so far this season) is never a good strategy, and that’s just what the Twins or another team would be doing right now in a trade for Howard.
Oswaldo Arcia is close to returning from a hip injury and Kennys Vargas is hopefully going to figure things out in Triple-A, so I think the Twins have enough options at designated hitter to get through this season and probably beyond. Acquiring Howard would block the aforementioned duo from getting at-bats, assuming Vargas resurfaces in the big leagues at some point this season, and I don’t see any fleeting short-term gain being worth making a move to acquire any veteran that would strictly be a designated hitter.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
