Chase Utley is 36 years old and will be 37 by the time he reports to spring training in a few more months. The trajectories of the six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger award winner have been well documented as he continues to age and his knees become more brittle by the day. Still, agents will be agents and Utley’s agent claims there are a handful of teams expressing interest in having the veteran second baseman suit up in their uniform as an everyday infielder in 2017. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired Utley in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last season, are among those reportedly interested.
Agent Joel Wolfe said 5-6 teams have expressed interest in Chase Utley, including Dodgers, as a mostly everyday infielder.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) November 18, 2015
Utley played in 105 games last season, with 73 coming with the Phillies and 34 more with the Dodgers. He played in 155 games in 2014, but 131 in 2013 and just 83 games in 2012. He took the field 103 times in 2011 and just 115 the previous season for the Phillies. See where I’m going with this? Any team that can honestly say they believe Utley will be an everyday second baseman is nuts and the general manager should be questioned, but having Utley take on a position other than second is not as unfathomable. It is no secret Utley has the desire to continue being an everyday player, and he may be willing to take on a new, less demanding position to make that happen. Hello first base? Of course, the Dodgers already have first covered with Adrian Gonzalez locked in through 2018 on the team’s second-largest contract.
What would be interesting to know is what other teams would have this kind of interest in Utley. the odds are good there may be some interest in adding a hard-working and gritty player like Utley to a clubhouse, as he leads more by example rather than vocally. His desire to prepare can trickle down on younger players in the right clubhouse, but the fact we have reached this point of Utley’s career is a bit sobering (unless you happen to be a fan of the New York Mets).
The Dodgers, though, need to figure out who their second baseman will be in 2016, because Howie Kendrick coming back after testing the free agent waters is dangerous territory for the Dodgers, who shipped off Dee Gordon to Miami. Kendrick may be the best solution for the Dodgers, but only if Los Angeles can make the money work. The Los Angeles Times says Kendrick is looking for a four-year deal worth $50 million. The Dodgers already have plenty of money invested in other players and positions, and tacking on another $50 million may not sound like too much trouble for the franchise, but the Dodgers would then be offering a contract to a second baseman who could very well be following Utley’s downward trend in the next couple of seasons.
But if the best alternative is Utley, maybe the Dodgers can make Kendrick happy.
