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MLB News: Chase Utley Likely Staying With Phillies This Season

Chase Utley

Now that the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline has passed, teams all over Major League Baseball have to get creative with how they want to obtain players. Many players are placed on the waiver list, as front offices across the league patiently plan their moves to obtain a key figure to make a postseason push, or to obtain players for the future.



One player who was reportedly available for quite some time was Chase Utley. The 36-year-old has spent a majority of the season on the disabled list, dealing with ankle inflammation. During his absence, the Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. pushed for some of his prospects in the farm system to get a chance to audition. Cesar Hernandez has since taken a majority of the starts at second base and has now started more games than Utley this season.

Many reported teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, expressed interest in the 12-year veteran, who can bring experience and a valuable bat to the lineup. Utley does have 5-and-10 veto rights, which would allow the California native to decline certain trades.

Although Utley has cleared Waivers, Amaro Jr. announced in a radio interview on Tuesday that Utley would likely remain with the Phillies throughout the rest of the regular season. Many analysts believe that the left-handed hitter’s veto rights are a significant factor in holding up potential trades to certain teams. According to ESPN, Amaro remained stern in his decision about his longtime player:

As I told you before, it is very likely he’ll be here in Philadelphia through the end of the year, and then we’ll see what happens after that.”

If Amaro Jr. were to change his mind about the possibility of trading Utley, a deal would have to be done before August 31 for Utley to be eligible to play in the postseason. Other teams that were also interested in Utley are the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants.

On the season, Utley’s slash line is .213/.282/.332, with five home runs and 30 RBIs. Since he was activated off of the disabled list, Utley has recorded at least one hit in the seven games he has played in. Since his return, the second baseman is 13-for-26, with five doubles, five RBIs, and a home run.

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Staff Writer

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