The Philadelphia Phillies face a number of challenging decisions with overpaid veteran players in the upcoming off-season and the seasons to come. They would love to trade certain players, guys like Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon, while they will work to find ways to maximize the values of players like Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.
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The interests as far as those various players are concerned could intersect. Perhaps the most interesting example of that fact would be the speculation that the Phillies might look at moving Utley, currently a second baseman, over to first base.
Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer explains the thinking behind that speculation with Utley, which would assume a situation where the Phillies found a trade for Howard:
"The man who could benefit the most from that is Chase Utley. There are no guarantees that more time at first base would strengthen Utley, a player with chronic knee problems whose production has declined with a larger workload this season. Ask Ryne Sandberg, and he sees the potential advantage in a position switch for Utley.“I think playing first base would eliminate a little wear and tear at that position,” Sandberg said. “Whether that’s a consideration or not has yet to be seen.”"
It will be awfully difficult for the Phillies to trade Howard unless they eat a significant portion of his salary, something they might decide to do if they are sure that he is no longer an everyday player. And if the Phillies somehow executed such a trade, that might create a situation where Utley looks at playing first base.
Stay tuned to FanSided for all of the latest news, rumors, and analysis for Major League Baseball as the season races towards the postseason and the hot stove this off-season.