Nick Piccone
I can talk until I’m blue in the face about why the Phillies need to move on from Ryan Howard. I’ve advocated moving on from Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and others that brought Philly their first championship in over 20 years in 2008. I’ll never forget them. But it’s been eight seasons since that happened. It’s time to move on. And ESPN’s David Schoenfield summed it up perfectly.
Howard is killing them, though. He’s gone from bad to unplayable, hitting .156/.226/.369. He went 0-for-4 on Monday with two strikeouts. With the game tied 4-4 in the seventh and a runner on second, the Tigers intentionally walked to pitch to Howard. Justin Wilson struck out Howard on three fastballs, all swinging. He’s 4-for-48 in May and hasn’t hit a single since April. Fans are saying enough is enough. Local columnists are calling for something to be done. For some reason, manager Pete Mackanin has hit Howard cleanup in 30 of the team’s 45 games.
That’s on Mackanin, but Howard shouldn’t even be on the roster. There’s no room for sentiment in the majors, where it’s all about winning (unless you’re tanking). New general manager Matt Klentak and team president Andy MacPhail might have inherited Howard, but they need to man up and make the obvious move: Give Howard his unconditional release. If you want to give him a chance to save face and retire — as Ken Griffey Jr. did when he walked away early in 2010 while hitting .184 — sure, give Howard the opportunity. If Howard doesn’t want to give up what’s left of his $25 million salary (plus a $10 million buyout for 2017), give him a handshake and his walking papers.
Because the Phillies don’t owe him anything — not after paying him $125 million.
Sad, but true. Nobody will ever forget the good Howard has brought to Philly. That’s not what this is about. He’s handled his fall from grace with class, all things considered. But it’s time.