Major League Baseball

Are Cardinals, Ryan Howard a match?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:06 p.m. ET

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A fun, spirited debate broke out Wednesday night on Twitter about whether the Cardinals should pursue Ryan Howard. I tweeted that the thought was intriguing. But upon further review – as opposed to a quick, 140-character musing – the fit probably isn’t right.

Listen, the Cardinals are going to need help, if only for their bench, now that Matt Adams likely is out for the season with a torn quad. I’m a Mark Reynolds fan, but I like him better playing mostly against lefties. Howard, then, could serve as a left-handed complement. So, however, could two other first basemen who likely are to be available, the Brewers’ Adam Lind and Rockies’ Justin Morneau.

Lind is hitting the best of the three, and unlike Howard does not have another guaranteed year on his contract (Lind has a club option; Morneau a mutual option). The Phillies are willing to cover the vast majority of Howard’s remaining $50 million-plus, but the Cardinals probably have little interest in impeding Adams in 2016.

Another thing: No one knows whether Howard actually would waive his 10-and-5 rights to return to his native St. Louis, not after engaging in a nasty legal dispute with family members in 2013-14 (the matter was settled out of court).

I’ll just conclude with this: Howard is not an albatross, not when he has 10 homers and an .817 OPS and the Phillies are willing to turn him into say, a $5 million per year player. Some team is going to want him. Maybe not the Cardinals, but some team.

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