Chase Utley, the iconic, face-of-the-franchise over the last decade, will remain in Phillies pinstripes for the foreseeable future.
Utley, who has been the heart-and-soul of the club since becoming the full-time second baseman during the 2005 season, approached ownership earlier this year to express his desire to remain with team beyond this season. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Reports are that it’s a 2-year extension with multiple vesting options for a third year. The 34-year old is in the final year of a seven-year, $85 million contract.
The discussions over the next few days, will revolve around whether the Phillies did the right thing. The franchise is at a crossroads – an aging, underachieving team in serious need of a make-over. Questions will arise over the 5-time All-Star’s age and chronic knee condition.
This is a move that needed to be made for numerous reasons. Utley is the unquestioned team leader, both on the field and in the clubhouse – the old-school type that leaves everything out on the field. Also, the Phillies do not have major-league ready talent to step into that role next season. Had Ruben Amaro decided to go the free agent route, outside of the Yankees’ Robinson Cano, the market for second basemen is paper-thin. Utley is still one of the top players at his position in Major League Baseball. He entered Wednesday’s game against the Cubs batting .275 with an .841 OPS.
It is no secret that ownership does not want to go back to the days of yore, at ‘The Vet’, with thousands of empty blue seats on a nightly basis. Going into a total, ‘rebuild-mode’ would have created such a scenario. Having Utley walk away and sign with say, the Yankees, would have been a public relations nightmare that nobody in the front office wanted to face heading into the off-season.
As the team spirals out-of-control, in a season filled with turmoil and injuries, Phillies fans have one less thing to worry about. There are more pressing issues at hand.
Now, about that bullpen…
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