January 30th, 2017 at 1:45 pm 
by Ron Cervenka When the Dodgers traded top right-handed pitching prospect Jose De Leon to the Tampa Bay Rays for veteran second baseman Logan Forsythe, it did two things: 1) It gave the Dodgers their much-needed everyday second baseman and; 2) It all but guaranteed that Dodgers top second base prospect Willie Calhoun will at least begin the 2017 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
But the De Leon-for-Forsythe trade did something else; it eliminated – or at least reduced – the likelihood that the Dodgers would re-sign veteran free agent second baseman Chase Utley.
…or did it?
“[I’m] still hoping there’s a chance he’ll be coming back. He was tremendous for me. I can’t thank him enough for what he did for me and all that stuff,” said 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager of his former teammate and mentor. “I’ll still stay in contact with him and will ask him for advice. I’m still looking forward to still continuing a relationship with him.”
There is no disputing that Utley’s bat and glove were invaluable to the Dodgers, but it was his mentoring of rookie shortstop Corey Seager that made his re-signing in 2016 worth every penny of the $7 million he was paid.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
But wishing and hoping is one thing, even coming from the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. The bottom line is that the decision to bring back Utley – albeit in a utility role – lays squarely on the shoulders of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi, and on the (now) 38-year-old Pasadena, California native’s willingness to accept a significantly lesser one-year contract – certainly one far below the $7 million that he made last season with the Dodgers.
Is there on-going dialog with the 14-year MLB veteran?
“Yeah,” said Friedman in a one-word answer during Saturday’s FanFest event at Dodger Stadium.
Last week, however, the Dodgers top exec was a bit more specific about the possibly of bringing back Utley, although even then not in a way that gives much confidence to Chase Utley fans – and there are many.
“You never say never with a guy like Chase just because of the type of guy he is and the impact that he has,” Friedman told reporters during a January 23, 2017 press conference confirming the De Leon-for-Forsythe trade. “But it’s one of those things where we probably would have re-signed Chase months ago if our lineup was more balanced.”
So there you have it. The possibility of Chase Utley returning to the Dodgers in 2017 is now clear.
…as mud.
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As much as I loved Utley as a valued member of the Dodger roster in 2016, he just is not a fit this year. He cannot play SS, but Kike’/Taylor/Culberson all can. Chase is a good LH bat, but not as good as Seager/AGon/Grandal/Toles/Ethier. And with Bellinger and Calhoun potential mid-year callups (Verdugo much less likely), there really is not room for another LH bat. I think Friedman said it all in his last sentence above…”But it’s one of those things where we probably would have re-signed Chase months ago if our lineup was more balanced.” IMO, Chase has as much chance to make the 25 man as does Rob Segedin.
A year ago, I was hoping that Utley would not be a Dodger. I couldn’t get the taste of his slide against the Mets’ Ruben Tejada out of my mouth. I would have to say the taste is gone and all I can remember is that he can still play a magnificent second base as he showed last season.