Phillies Alumnus Chase Utley Linked to Tampa Bay, Atlanta
Former Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is still looking for a job in the major-leagues, and a few teams have been listed as potential landing spots.
Ever since the Phillies traded Chase Utley in 2015, we’ve still followed his every move. When he returned to Philadelphia, we gave him a rousing ovation, even as he hit two home runs into the seats at Citizens Bank Park for the Dodgers.
Utley is looking for a new home this offseason. Some thought he may return to the Dodgers, but they filled their hole at second base by trading for Tampa Bay’s Logan Forsythe in exchange for starting pitching prospect Jose De Leon.
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Los Angeles’s president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, didn’t rule out Utley possibly returning to the Dodgers. He told Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times “You never say never with a guy like Chase, just because of the type of guy he is, and the impact that he has. But it’s one of those things where we probably would have re-signed Chase months ago if our lineup was more balanced.”
Even though Utley’s future in Los Angeles is questionable, he may still have options beyond the Dodgers. Jon Morosi of MLB Network said on Twitter that Utley could be a fit with the Rays or the Braves as the Dodgers’ need for a second baseman is filled.
Chase Utley a possible fit for #Rays or #Braves, now that #Dodgers' infield need has been addressed with Forsythe trade. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 24, 2017
Atlanta has two of the top ten second base prospects in baseball according to MLB.com in Ozzie Albies and Travis Demeritte. This means any deal he would sign with Atlanta would likely only be for one year, if that.
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The Rays’ infield now has a hole at second base because of the Forsythe trade. Tampa Bay’s website lists Nick Franklin and Tim Beckham as the two second base options on the major-league roster. Neither has had a particularly great career in the major-leagues, so Tampa Bay may still look for an upgrade.
The Rays could very well fill their hole at second internally as well, as they have two talented shortstop prospects in Willy Adames and Daniel Robertson who could very well move to second.
Utley started off 2016 strong with the Dodgers, hitting for a .283/.369/.428 line in the first two months of the season. He fell off from there with a .673 OPS from June through the rest of the year.
Next: Phillies Trade Severino Gonzalez to Miami Marlins
For those who ask if Utley may return to the Phils, it has already been reported that the team wasn’t looking at him in free agency. It would only add to the brewing logjam in the middle of the infield.