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Ryan Howard could be traded this year, as the Phillies are apparently willing to eat up to $50M of the $60M remaining on his contract. Over on SBNation.com/MLB, Grant Brisbee took a look at the American League to see which teams might be attracted by that offer, and the conclusion was, sadly, none of them.
But there's another league he didn't consider where Howard might find a home. No, not the National League. No, not the Korean League. No not the Alaska League.
I'm talking, of course, about the independent Atlantic League, specifically the York Revolution. Now, this might seem a bit of a reach for an independent league team, given that the maximum salary of the Atlantic League is $3,000 per month (roughly 1/1250th of Howard's salary), but the Revolution are no fools. They have a plan: a fundraiser. According to this press release...
"If there are roughly 400,000 people living in York County, we only need $25 from each of them to have the funds necessary to put Ryan Howard in a Revolution uniform," surmised York General Manager John Gibson.
...
Hoping the campaign will spread beyond the York area and statewide, the Revolution has lowered the donation amount they are asking for to $10. As a thank you, each fan who donates will be provided with two complimentary ticket vouchers to the Revolution’s Opening Night game at Santander Stadium in Downtown York, on Friday, April 24 against the Long Island Ducks at 6:30 p.m.
Not being entirely un-self-aware, the York have a contingency if they can't pull this off: because the Phillies are willing to pay 83.3% of Howard's salary in a trade, the Revolution will donate 83.3% of funds raised to Penn-Mar Human Services.
Of course, it's not just about the money; they'd need to offer the Phillies some asset(s) in return. Perusing their roster reveals not much... but... oh my...
The deal's as good as done, folks.
Best of luck in York, Ryan. Eat Fresh.