There will be a day when Ryan Howard is no longer employed by the Philadelphia Phillies. The ill-fated contract extension which kicked in during the 2012 season and, at the time, seemed interminable is, in fact, terminable. The Phillies may opt to keep Howard through the natural conclusion of his contract after the 2016 season or, as has been rumored for nearly half a decade, they may decide to trade or release him. Since 2012, Howard has been a neutral or negative contributor to the Phillies by WAR but removing him from the roster was never previously a priority.