Longtime star second baseman Chase Utley will rejoin the Phillies tomorrow, the club announced. It’s almost certainly too late for him to reach sufficient plate appearances to trigger his vesting option for next season, making it a straight team decision whether to pick him up at $15MM or instead pay a $2MM buyout. But that doesn’t mean his return won’t be interesting, as Utley remains a very plausible August trade candidate. Indeed, the Phillies veteran is drawing interest around the league, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. The Cubs, Dodgers, and Yankees are among the teams expected to have some interest in adding Utley down the stretch. Of course, his appeal will depend heavily upon the form he shows upon his return.
Here’s more from the National League:
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty provided some interesting thoughts on his team’s trade deadline moves, especially the Johnny Cueto deal, in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (links to Twitter). “We had the Cueto deal done, then another team came in,” said Jocketty, “and I was actually able to get a little more out of the Royals.”Â
- One key piece of that deal, of course, was lefty Brandon Finnegan, who Jocketty says will be expected to work as a starter at Triple-A before joining the big league club in September. After entering the year with 28 days of service and tacking on about 37 more thus far in 2015, Finnegan still has six years of team control remaining and won’t line up as a Super Two candidate even if he spends next month (and all of next year) on the Cincinnati staff.
- Jocketty also discussed the Reds’ timeline to return to contention (Twitter link), saying that “our plan at this point is that we realistically have a real good shot in 2017.” While he praised the team’s “nucleus,” Jocketty’s statement seems to suggest that next season will be something of a regrouping year. The club has worked to fill its system with young arms after parting with Cueto and Mike Leake, but it remains to be seen how and when they will develop into productive big leaguers. With several big contracts limiting flexibility, and players like Aroldis Chapman and Jay Bruce entering their final years of control, it will be interesting to see whether Cinci pursues further trades over the winter.
- Braves GM John Hart also discussed his team’s role in the three-team, thirteen-player deadline deal with the Dodgers and Marlins with MLB Network Radio (Twitter links). He confirmed that the club was motivated primarily by the chance to add the bat of infielder Hector Olivera for a relatively minor commitment (five-years and roughly $30MM after 2015). Atlanta was weighing its options for bolstering its lineup, he indicated, and felt that it would cost too much to compete for the top-level bats set to hit the coming free agent market.
Bill 21
Chase Utley’s vesting option was for $15M, but the team option uses a formula to produce an amount between $5M & $11M based on days on disabled list.
The actual cost will be $2M less, because they have to pay him that buyout amount regardless. So, assuming that the formula produces a $8.7M result, the actual cost to exercise the 2016 team option and play him would be $6.7M.
thecoffinnail
That is very helpful and makes the Phillies exercising his option more likely. He will be a good turnaround candidate with a cost not much more than Stephen Drew’s this year.. I doubt they would have gambled on a $15m contract but $6.7 should be close to a sure thing just to avoid the PR problems that will surely happen if they were to just dump him..
tac3
Its time to move on, but I can see Utley being the lone veteran presence from yesteryear to usher in the new talent that the FO wants. They have said this for years. I kinda hope he gets another shot at a championship somewhere this year though, he deserves it. I can definitely see him hitting a clutch pinch hit go ahead homerun late in a playoff game for his new team. But as a selfish fan, I also wouldn’t mind if he road out his career as a life long phillie.
Dock_Elvis
I thought before the deadline that there was a small chance KC would bring him in to be that vet character guy….but Zobrist ended that speculation. Other concern was having that option vest…even as I’ve seen it explained as only being 6.5m
tac3
His agent and Amaro negotiated one hellva complicated contract. I don’t think anyone understands it until this day… so many asterisks in his contract.
22Leo
I don’t buy any team in contention having an interest in Utley. That guy is done. Not unless he comes free, that is. The Dodgers are expected to have interest? I call bs on this journalist.
BlueSkyLA
I agree, the Dodgers don’t make much sense for Utley, unless they are thinking about him for next year, and even so.
tac3
I love Utley as a late season add on to a team who is making a playoff push. I’m not sure I’d consider him for anything else. Will see with his latest rehab recovery. At this point in his career, he seems to need a good amount of time off to be productive. I think he would be a potential upgrade for a playoff team with an average 2B, if his trend of racking it cheaps up with rest, but he is probably better suited for a bench upgrade for a contender at his point. I think he’ll surprise… but I wouldn’t count on him being apart of anything next year, he will need to rest 4 of the 6 months of the season to be effective. Absolutely a platoon player at this point.
blake
ugh Dodgers please don’t take on another past his prime and then some Philly contract. Case in point, Victorino, Michael Young and J Rollins
tac3
o come on…. if they took the others, they surely take Chase… 🙂 Well to take a jab… don’t get to over confident… the Dodgers may need Utley in the postseason to bail out KerChoke…. Thats right, until he has a good postseason, you are going to get a steady diet of KerChoke jokes, Unless the teams goal is to win the most regular season games, if thats the case, he’s Clayton Hall of Fame Kershaw. 🙂 relax, just some friendly fun.
blake
um, the KerChoke jokes are getting old. I think all of baseball knows how Clayton pitched in the postseason. i don’t see overconfidence in declining Utley, when Kendrick is way better than Utley.
danpartridge
Yeah, Utley doesn’t make much sense for the Dodgers. I don’t see the logic there.
Lokey
Utley’s ankle injury had been bothering him since spring training, so if he comes back and shows signs of life at the plate, I could see a team taking a shot on him…I can’t imagine he’d cost much by way of prospects
tac3
They could have gotten a decent prospect last year, when he was on that allstar run, now…. not so much. He’ll probably bounce back, but if not, just enjoy the end to his rein at 2nd base for the Phillies. One of the teams alltime great
Backatitagain
Mets are willing to deal Zack Wheeler from the DL. Zack is a Georgia boy and would fit in great with the Braves pitching staff. Maybin probably would not clear waivers but if he did I like Maybin for Wheeler.
thecoffinnail
You would..
Cam
Utley to the dodgers? Nah. His bat is done, his defensive range is gone, he’s a one position guy at a position we have covered by a fantastic player already – unless you count 1B where he doesn’t have a platoon advantage over a stud starter, and wouldn’t even be the first backup option.
3rd string pinch hitter at a push, maybe.