Dodgers News: Chase Utley To Assume Front Office Role
The Winter Meetings aren’t just about roster moves and trades. Moreover, sometimes they’re about teams filling vital roles within their organization. For the Los Angeles Dodgers – a friendly face is making the move from the field into the baseball operations department.
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports that Chase Utley will become part of the Dodgers’ baseball operations department.
https://twitter.com/TBrownYahoo/status/1072667278569848833
Obviously, this is great news. Utley capped off a certain Hall of Fame career in parts of four seasons with the Dodgers. During his final three seasons in Los Angeles, the Dodgers made the NLCS series. As his career winded down in 2018, he was in the dugout but not part of the active roster.
During this time, many who followed the team expressed a desire to see Utley fulfill a role that would keep him around the organization. Now, that wish has become reality.
Furthermore, a Dodgers fan on twitter was able to get a photo of Utley attending the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.
I have visual confirmation of Chase Utley’s presence here at the Winter Meetings. This is the only shot I could get, but it’s my sister’s favorite angle anyway, so it works. pic.twitter.com/Z7iWON9id4
— Jeff J. Snider (@snidog) December 12, 2018
Utley was a winning player during his 16 seasons in the big leagues. His lifetime 51.2 bWAR is proof of this. It should be expected that he will continue to help cultivate a winning culture that the Dodgers have become known by in recent years.
The math is simple: the Dodgers have lost some key members due to their recent success. When this happens, you fill those roles with as many successful people as possible.
Undeniably – Utley is a hallmark of success in the game of baseball – and the Dodgers have again made another winning hire. Earlier in the week, the Dodgers added Jeff Kingston to fill the assistant general manager role. Kingston was a key component of the Seattle Mariners front office for several years.
If you thought you had seen the last of Chase Utley as a Los Angeles Dodger, you were mistaken. His fingerprints will now remain on the organization for the foreseeable future.
Dodgers After Key Red Sox Reliever
This is great! He will still be withthe club, but with a “regular” job so he can eat dinner with his family every night! We will miss actually “seeing” him every day, but this is best for him!
He certainly has the experience to
be a wonderful front office person.
Hope to see him in the stands
Watching Our Dodgers ??
I’m very happy the Dodgers decided to keep Utley in some category. He’s a good person. I believe he is very smart in baseball and can help the Dodgers in many ways. Good luck chase, I hope you go far with the Dodgers.
I was anticipating and hoping this would happen. Very good news!
Man, best news I’ve heard all day. Chase is a straight up class guy and I’m very very happy to see him remain with the Dodgers. I had hoped that when he came over originally. A true Mr. Baseball!!
Well said, Ron.
Got a question about about Urias, Dodgers talked at the end of season that they were finall ratching him up to be in the rotation full time. Now I hear they may start him up in extended spring training or triple AAA. What’s going on, is there something wrong with him? They have been treating him with kid gloves, time to finally start him.