Trade rumors swirl around Phillies' Ryan Howard, Marlon Byrd

The last 18 hours or so have seen a few major trade rumors pop up involving the Phillies.

First came Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal on Monday night. He reported that the Phillies are ready to deal, and that other teams are ready to listen:

The Phillies are willing to move any player on their roster, but their most popular target in early trade discussions might surprise you.

According to major-league sources, it's right fielder Marlon Byrd.

On Tuesday morning, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Phillies want to deal Ryan Howard:

Ryan Howard has had his last at-bat as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

That's what the Phillies hope, anyway. That's their goal, according to rival executives.

The odds of the Phillies actually striking a deal to ship Howard out appear to be slim, though. Olney explains why:

But it will cost the Phillies, undoubtedly, because Howard -- who turns 35 later this month -- is still owed $60 million, with $25 million salaries for each of the next two seasons, plus a $10 million buyout of a 2017 team option of $23 million. And Howard is not regarded by rival evaluators as anything close to a high-end player anymore, or even an average player.

Do you think the Phillies will be able to trade Howard? Do you think they should? Fire away in the comments.