2016 will be Ryan Howard’s 13th season as a big league ballplayer and his 13th as a member of the Phillies. And after 13 years of majestic home runs, consistent MVP candidacy and title contention in his first handful of seasons, and frustrating strikeouts, it will also be Howard’s final season in a Phillies uniform.
Howard’s Phillies career probably should have ended a couple of seasons ago. Back in 2010, former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. signed the 30-year-old first baseman to a five-year, $125 million extension despite the slugger’s age and what was likely to be an inevitable drop in production.