Ryan Howard, the Last Relic of the Philadelphia Phillies' Glory Years

Ryan Howard may not be an island in the Phillies clubhouse, but he still has the look of a former star marooned there. He was, at one point, the bulky slugger at the heart of a championship team, surrounded by peers and fellow All-Stars. Now in Clearwater, as Philadelphia prepares for what's sure to be an agonizing 2016 season, he's all that's left of a former dynasty.

There is a very thin connection between the Phillies team that beat the Rays in the 2008 World Series and the team that may lose 100 games this year. Charlie Manuel, the manager of that title-winner, still rambles around as an adviser. Carlos Ruiz, the stalwart catcher and a local fan favorite, remains. And there is the 36-year-old Howard, surrounded by prospects and major league camp invites and the hodge-podge of names at the periphery of even the most rabid baseball fan's mind.

"Is it odd to be here?" Howard said. "No, it's not. This is what happens in baseball. That's the business aspect of the game that takes place. You gotta just go out there and continue to play.

"Is it different? Yeah, it's a little bit different," he added, "but you understand that there's change that comes in the game and you understand that takes place."

Jayson Werth was the first to leave when he signed a monster contract with the Washington Nationals prior to the 2011 season. Jimmy Rollins exited last offseason, then Chase Utley and Cole Hamels midway through last season—all three traded away to extend their careers and to chase playoff games and another ring. Even Ruben Amaro Jr., the analytics luddite who ran the front office and gave Howard a $125 million extension in 2010, is finally gone, free to reinvent himself as a first base coach for the Red Sox.

But no one would take Howard. Even Pat Gillick, the Phillies executive, was surprised there was no trade interest in him last year. So here he is, the aged former superstar, set to make $25 million this season, his sweet left-handed swing eroding by the day. One major league talent evaluator didn't even bother offering an assessment of Howard; he just pointed to Guns N' Roses' "Night Train."

Few people thought the contract extension was a good idea six years ago. It looks worse now. The fearsome hitter who twice led the National League in home runs—58 in his first full season—has been a below-average player the past four seasons: a 97 OPS+ and just 71 home runs since his extension kicked in in 2012. Howard's -0.4 WAR last year ranked seventh worst in baseball.

"When I look at our team sometimes, it's kind of different," Manuel said. "I see him and Ruiz. But at the same time that's a difference because I remember Ryan Howard in his heyday. Ryan Howard helped put a new addition on my house. That's when he was hitting 45 to 58 home runs and knocking in 120 to 150 runs."

Howard does not admit to any awkwardness. He still talks to his old peers, checking in every once in awhile. He says he's doing just fine making relationships with his current teammates, but the hint of tension is clear.

The Phillies are in the midst of a top-down rebuild. They are clearing clutter from their roster to bring in youth and new talent. Nearly every relic of that old era is gone. Now there is just the painful wait for the success they hope will come.

Howard does not even seem to have a starting job in his control. He and Darin Ruf are in a push-pull for the position and will likely platoon there, though Howard will start on Opening Day.

"He's a player who is playing baseball," Pete Mackanin, the Phillies manager, said, which is as lackluster an endorsement as you might get. "I don't see him having a role. He's got a big stature in the game. He means a lot to the organization. He's trying to show us he's still capable."

Asked if he wished for a chance to leave Philadelphia and play for a contender like Rollins or Utley or Hamels, Howard does not default into the athlete cliché of unbridled loyalty to his current employer. Instead, he is circumspect and non-committal. The future will decide itself.

"You never know what's going to happen," Howard said. "Right now I'm in Philadelphia and I'm focused on doing what I need to do to get ready for the season. You can't control any of that stuff. If it comes, it comes to it. I never focused on anything like that. If there was a trade or something like that or they came and said, 'Hey there's a trade,' you deal with that when it comes but other than that it doesn't make any sense to look at it."

Howard wants to remind you that he's dealt with uncertainty and trade speculation before. When he was still a prospect in the Phillies organization, stuck behind Jim Thome in the minors, his name was bandied about as an asset. He remembers being named in trade talks for the nondescript pitcher Kip Wells.

And yet, that was different. He was wanted then by others and was an asset for the Phillies. In 2016, he is pockmarked by an onerous contract, which he can no longer live up to.

And then there is the controversy that arose this offseason. Howard does not want to again talk about how he was named in an Al Jazeera documentary, which linked him to human growth hormone. He has said his part about that, and the defamation lawsuit he filed against Al Jazeera—along with the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, who was also named in the report—spoke loudest for him. Still, it will be another cloud over his season.

Manuel, his old manager, thinks that Howard would enjoy giving Phillies fans one more good reason to remember him rather than find escape elsewhere. But is he even capable of that at this point?

Howard said he hasn't thought about next year, but it seems unlikely he'd be back in Philadelphia. He has a $23 million team option for 2017 but paying the $10 million buyout seems like the more prudent choice. That might not even be a decision for the Phillies to make if they can unload him sometime this summer. For now, though, Howard remains the last star standing for the Phillies.

"I think he would get more enjoyment out of having a good season and making them happy, if that makes sense," Manuel said. "I think that he's been here so long now and he was part of all the winning that we had that I think he would like to leave on a good term. And I think that would be great for him, really."