ESPN’s Buster Olney talked to a "well-placed source," who stated unequivocally that the Phillies will not trade Ryan Howard this winter. There’s been Howard trade chatter since February, when he set a record with a $10MM first-year arbitration award. This time around he might get $14-15MM.
Howard, 29 in November, hit .251/.339/.543 in 700 plate appearances this year. It was a respectable season, ranking tenth among first basemen. Howard ranked fourth last year.
