Philadelphia Phillies will only trade Chase Utley if he asks to be moved

The Philadelphia Phillies may not have had World Series aspirations this season, though after an offseason of revamping, it was believed they’d at least make some noise in the National League East.

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They’ve certainly made noise, but not the kind they were hoping for as they currently sit in fourth place, only a game up on the New York Mets who are anchored to the bottom of the division.

And while there’s still time for a recovery, given the injury woes and lack of production from some of the Phillies bigger name players, such a turn around appears to dwindle on a daily basis.

Given that, it’s within reason to believe the Phillies may opt to make some trades in effort to improve for the future, though one player who isn’t likely to be moved in longtime second baseman Chase Utley.

A franchise fixture, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. suggested the only way the team would move Utley is if the infielder asked to be traded.

“It’s such a moot point, there’s nothing to discuss. I don’t know if we’ll completely ‘sell’ ever. We can revamp, but we can’t completely sell out. We have to have a contending team in 2015 or ’16 — or at least a competitive team.

“Probably the only way it would ever happen is if he comes to me and says, ‘Dude, what are we going to do here?’ My understanding is that Chase wants to be here, finish out his career here, win here. I hope we can do all of those things with him.”

While it’s a nice sentiment, getting anything of value for Utley at this point in his career would be the best move for the franchise. Of course, there’s a lot to be said for loyalty and it’s understandable if the Phillies would prefer to keep Utley in Philly for the duration of his career.

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