The Los Angeles Dodgers currently do not have an everyday second baseman on their roster. Because of this, it would make sense for the team to re-sign Chase Utley.
Utley, 38, is still a free agent. The six-time All-Star started 118 games at second base for the Dodgers last season and batted .252 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. He has not been able to garner much interest from teams this offseason.
This lack of interest has a lot to do with Utley’s age. Teams are not exactly going to jump at the opportunity to sign a 38-year-old second baseman, even if he still does have something left. Judging by what he did last year, Utley can still be a productive player.
Even though the Dodgers had Howie Kendrick on their roster during the 2016 season, it was Utley who saw most of the playing time at second base. Kendrick ended up playing mostly left field and third base for the team. Back in November, the Dodgers traded Kendrick to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf and utility player Darnell Sweeney.
If the Dodgers still had Kendrick, it would not make much sense to bring Utley back. However, the team made the decision to trade him, leaving them without a true second baseman on their roster. Earlier in the week, the Dodgers were making a big push to try and acquire slugging second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins. However, trade talks between the two teams have reportedly halted. The Dodgers are running out of time to obtain a new second baseman, as spring training is only a few months away.
At this point, re-signing Utley would be the logical thing to do. He is a guy who is already familiar with the Dodgers. They know that he can still be an everyday second baseman. Utley is a good veteran player that can still get the job done. Also, the Dodgers could use another left-handed power bat in their lineup. Although Utley is not quite the same hitter that he once was with the Phillies, he still has a good amount of power.
It will be interesting to see what Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi and President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman decide to do about their team’s hole at second base. The way things look right now, they are not going to be able to get Dozier. The Dodgers may just have to settle for Utley.