Fans of the Giants, Dodgers, Angels, and Cubs should probably temper their expectations for a new second baseman over the final two weeks of August. The four teams have all been tied to Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, but it’s looking less and less likely that Utley will be dealt.
GM Ruben Amaro this morning @SportsRadioWIP "Chase Utley likely to be w #Phillies rest of year." Definition, Utley will not approve trade.
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) August 18, 2015
Fox’s Ken Rosenthal broached the subject on Sunday, discussing just how complicated a deal would be, given Utley’s no-trade clause and salary.
Utley, who holds full no-trade rights, wants to join a contender on the West Coast and preferably in his native Southern California, according to two executives involved in the discussions.
The right fit, however, might not emerge, given the complexities of satisfying Utley, the Phillies and the acquiring club in a trade, and the financial issues that must be resolved.
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While a trade still appears logical, Utley never has asked for a deal and would leave the Phillies only reluctantly, sources say. He signed an extension in Aug. 2013 believing that he would remain with the club for the rest of his career.
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki also reported on the diminishing possibility of a trade, the Phillies’ desire to move Utley, and Utley’s preference for regular playing time (wherever he may be playing) to finish out 2015.
Clearly, the Phillies would like to trade Utley. They want Cesar Hernandez to play as much as possible, because he is set to be their second baseman next season. So if Utley decides he does not want to play for the Angels, Cubs or Giants, he does so almost certainly knowing these will be his final few weeks with Philadelphia.
If a trade does not happen, it means Utley is OK with that.
ESPN.com first reported last week that Utley wants a playing-time guarantee before he goes anywhere. Utley wants to play regularly, because he plans to play in 2016. Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin has said he plans to play Utley four times a week, which might be as much or more than other teams are willing to pencil him into the lineup.
So maybe the iconic second baseman decides he would rather just spend the final few weeks of his contract in Philadelphia rather than face the unknown for a few weeks in a new organization. Utley has earned that right.
Both sides of the situation are understandable. Utley has been a member of the Phillies since he was drafted out of UCLA in 2000, and I can’t imagine he’d want to leave for the final two months of 2015 just to chase a ring, potentially as a bench player. The Phillies also missed their best opportunity to trade Utley before signing him to his current two-year, $27 million extension with a trio of club options tacked onto it, and are now just trying to get *something* for him so they can continue their rebuild in earnest.
Utley shouldn’t be playing every day to close out the season in Philadelphia, and I think everyone realizes that. In just 72 games this year, Utley’s hit .213/.282/.332, though he has smashed the ball to the tune of a .500/.500/.808 line in seven games since coming off the DL. If he does get playing time, it should be displacing the struggling Ryan Howard at first base and not 25-year old Cesar Hernandez, hitting .281/.354/.363 in 102 games, at second.
The Phillies are moving in the right direction with their rebuild, but moving on from Utley will be the next, most difficult, step of this process.
