Cleveland Indians Interested in Chase Utley
There’s no clear place for him on their roster at the moment, but the Cleveland Indians are reportedly interested in free agent second baseman Chase Utley.
The Cleveland Indians won the American League pennant last year, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in five games. Even after all of that success, the Tribe are looking to improve the strength of their roster for the 2017 season. According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Indians are intrigued about the thought of signing Chase Utley. Heyman also states that Utley would not be a perfect fit for the Indians, since they have Jason Kipnis, but he would be a nice utility infielder for the Tribe.
Indians are intrigued a bit by chase utley. Not a perfect fit, though, as they have a star lhh 2B, kipnis.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 8, 2017
Utley, 38, played well last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 565 plate appearances, Utley hit .252/.319/.396 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI. Utley also managed to score 79 runs last year, his best mark since the 2009 season, in which he was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. The former first-round pick in 2000 still has some juice left in the tank.
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The Dodgers mostly used Utley as a lead-off hitter last year, but with the Indians Utley might not even crack the everyday lineup. The Indians do not have space for him on the field and Edwin Encarnacion will be taking all of the at-bats as the team’s designated hitter. It is not quite evident if Utley would be a good fit on the Indians, but the team is apparently intrigued and it will be interesting to see where he lands.
This was not the only addition that the Indians have thought about or made this offseason. Earlier, they signed first baseman Edwin Encarncaion to a three-year, $60 million deal. The move made the Indians instant favorites in the American League Central and atop the favorites for the pennant in the 2017 season.
Encarnacion was not the only addition to the Indians roster for the 2017 season. The team signed center fielder Austin Jackson to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Jackson, 30, struggled with the Chicago White Sox last year, hitting .254/.318/.343 in 203 plate appearances. He was also unable to hit a home run and drove in 18 RBI.
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The Indians have a talented roster for the 2017 season and should be favorites to win the American League once again. Utley would be a great addition but it is not clear yet what his fit would be. If they can find a spot for him, Utley would be a great signing for a team that is already among the best in the American League. The Tribe will get even scarier if they can add some talented veterans just like Utley.