The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly reached a one-year agreement to bring back infielder Chase Utley for his 15th major league season.
Chase Utley is staying in L.A. after all.
Nearing the end of an offseason in which he was mostly overlooked, the veteran second baseman has agreed to a one-year deal to remain with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times. Financial details are currently unknown, but FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports Utley took less money to remain with the team.
Chase Utley is coming back to the Dodgers on a one-year deal, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) February 11, 2017
Though Utley’s bat looked downright lively at times in 2016, it’s not surprising that the Dodgers spent much of the winter looking for a significant (and younger) infield upgrade. After flirting with the Twins over slugger Brian Dozier for a while, the Boys in Blue eventually struck a deal with the Rays to acquire second-bagger Logan Forsythe, surrendering top pitching prospect Jose De Leon in the process.
Utley doesn’t stand to take any real playing time away from Forsythe, but he will give the Dodgers some valuable bench depth as they head into the 2017 campaign. After struggling through his first 34 games with L.A. in 2015 after his August trade from the Phillies, Utley rebounded last season, posting a .252/.319/.396 slash line with 14 home runs and 52 RBI in 138 contests.
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Much of Utley’s success came early, however. He boasted a .283/.369/.428 slash at the end of May, but hit a far more modest .236/.292/.381 for the rest of the year. At his age, it’s likely Utley simply ran out of gas as the season wore on. A reserve role like the one the 38-year-old is likely to play next year should suit him just fine. By deploying him strategically (his OPS was nearly .300 points higher against righties last year) and just generally managing his playing time, the Dodgers could once again get surprisingly good production from the six-time All-Star.
The Dodgers’ main focus this offseason has been keeping the team that reached last year’s NLCS together. After four straight years of over 90 wins and NL West division titles, the franchise’s goal couldn’t be clearer: a World Series championship, its first since 1988. A healthy season would do wonders, as L.A. was absolutely ravaged by injuries in 2016. And you always have to feel pretty bullish about your chances when you have the best pitcher in baseball leading your staff.
Guys like Utley and recently-signed outfielder Franklin Gutierrez won’t play every day or make much of an impact overall in the box score, but they bring the depth and experience that are invaluable to any club with its eyes on the Fall Classic. Those kinds of players hold things together and keep the machine humming along.
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Barring catastrophe, the Dodgers should once again be favorites to come out on top of the NL West. That’s when the real work will begin.