Chase Utley’s most significant on-field moment during the 2015 season came when he took out New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada with a controversial slide in the playoffs, but his past production was enough to merit a new contract from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported Utley and the Dodgers agreed on a one-year contract Sunday, while Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed the deal, reporting Utley will receive $7 million in guaranteed money.
Utley only hit .212 with eight home runs and 39 RBI for the Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers last season and was nowhere near the player who dominated for so many years in the City of Brotherly Love. The downturn in production was concerning from someone who will be 37 years old during the 2016 campaign.
Still, Utley is one of the best second basemen of his generation and has the recognition to prove it. He is a six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and won a World Series ring in 2008 with the Phillies. He counts extensive postseason experience on his resume and could be something of a clubhouse leader in 2016.
He served as a veteran presence for Los Angeles last year during the stretch run and will likely be asked to do the same this season.
Utley is well past his prime, but he is not far removed from the 2014 campaign when he hit .270 with 11 home runs and 78 RBI. He also posted three defensive runs saved above average at second base in 2014 compared to minus-one in 2015, according to FanGraphs.
Utley is not going to be the slugger who drilled 146 long balls for the Phillies between 2005 and 2009, but he will provide value if he can be more like the 2014 version of himself rather than the 2015 edition. The possibility of that happening and his Hall of Fame type of numbers from earlier in his career made this a worthwhile risk for a Dodgers team looking to win the World Series after failing in the postseason.
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