Phillies GM apologized to Ryan Howard for saying team would be better without him

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro spoke with Ryan Howard recently to apologize for comments he made earlier in the offseason about the struggling first baseman.

Back in December, Amaro, who was trying to trade Howard, said on the radio that he told Howard the team would be better off without him.

“We’ve talked to Ryan. And I told him that in our situation it would probably bode better for the organization not with him but without him. With that said if he’s with us, then we’ll work around him,” Amaro said at the time.

That’s pretty stinging criticism from your GM, so it was no surprise Howard was affected by the remarks. Amaro told the Philadelphia Daily News that he met with Howard to apologize.

“Frankly, I apologized for those comments that I made that were public,” Amaro said. “And I think he appreciated that. Other than that, I want to keep the conversation private. It was a good talk.”

The Phillies were unable to move Howard and still owe him $25 million each of the next two seasons. Perhaps they are hoping he can rebuild some value with a strong start so they can get something for him in return. If they do not trade him, the earliest the Phillies would be able to get out of the contract (without cutting him and taking the loss), is after 2016, when his buyout would cost them $10 million.

Howard batted .223 last season and struck out 190 times. He has not posted an OPS above .784 since 2011.