The New York Yankees have had trouble finding consistency at second base all season.
There have been small sparks of offensive production and defensive flair from both Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan here and there, but overall, second base has been the biggest flaw in New York’s starting lineup this year.
While an infield upgrade would be nice for the Yankees, bringing in Chase Utley in 2015 is not the answer.
It’s been quite the whirlwind month for the Yankees. These games are finally beginning to really matter.
The Bombers woke up on July 29 with a seven-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. By Wednesday, Aug. 12, they were a half-game back.
That lead has since been rectified after the Yankees beat the Jays 4-3 on Friday night in what could only be described as a playoff-atmosphere game being played in August.
The 11-game winning streak that Toronto put together since signing David Price and Troy Tulowitzki led to some fans wondering why the Yankees remained mostly dormant during the trade deadline. New York’s only acquisition was reeling in Dustin Ackley, who played in just two games before landing on the disabled list.
With glaring holes in the starting rotation and trouble finding consistency at second base, it was a little surprising to some that the Yankees remained quiet. However, there’s still a little time to bring in a player or two.
General manager Brian Cashman helped out the pitching situation by calling up Luis Severino from Triple-A and stating that the 21-year-old has no innings limit to Ryan Hatch of NJ.com. Severino has had two solid starts so far in the big leagues against the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, in which he gave up one and two earned runs, respectively.
However, second base still remains a problem.
Stephen Drew belted a home run and scored a career-high four times in an 8-6 win against Cleveland on Thursday, but is still batting just .195 with a .263 OBP in 97 games this season.
He does have 15 home runs, which is more than the likes of Evan Longoria, Matt Kemp and the last superstar to play second base in New York, Robinson Cano. However, production has been lacking in between each home run.
Brendan Ryan hasn’t fared much better, batting .237 in his last 12 games.
So, by name alone, you would think Chase Utley would be a great pickup to help bring some life back to New York’s middle infield. And you wouldn’t be wrong—if it were seven years ago.
When the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, Utley hit .292 that season with 104 RBI. He didn’t slow down the following year, belting more than 30 home runs for the third time in four seasons and leading Philly back to the Fall Classic.
Oh, he had five home runs in that World Series defeat against the Yankees, though Utley is just 6-for-24 at Yankee Stadium during the regular season.
If New York were going to get that Utley, there would be no question to try to bring him in. Of course, that Utley most likely would be staying in Philadelphia.
Instead, the current Utley is a shell of his former self, hitting just .196 in 70 games before Friday. He had more home runs in that ’09 World Series than he does now and is looking at career lows in just about every category since his rookie season.
Utley is and will forever be a beloved player in Philadelphia. His number will be retired and a street will probably be named after him. However, the Yankees have had their fair share of nostalgia while dealing with players from the past several years—they need production now.
Because of Utley’s past, the Phillies might try to bring in a big-name prospect in return for him, but New York has stood firm when it comes to its younger players.
Philly could certainly try to improve its case for a decent return after Utley went 4-for-5 on Friday night to push his average over .200. He now has 11 hits in 22 at-bats since returning from the disabled list last Friday. Funny how that can happen when a player is on the trading block.
Before being traded, Utley has the final say of which team he can be dealt to because of his 10-5 no-trade rights, which come after playing 10 years in the big leagues and five straight years with the same club.
The 36-year-old has also made it clear that he only wants to play for teams who will guarantee him playing time, as ESPN’s Buster Olney noted:
But as far as playing time is concerned, Cashman made it clear that he’s all-in on Drew at second base. Since he would remain on the team, there would be no place for Utley, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:
Because of that, the Yankees’ best option appears to be in riding things out, much as they did during the trade deadline. Once the roster expands in September, New York can call back second base prospect Rob Refsnyder, who’s batting .275 in Triple-A.
As for Utley, the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants seem to be the top three suitors. According to the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Bruce Jenkins, the Giants have even made an offer:
But according to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, Utley has narrowed his choices down to two:
It can be argued that Utley was one of the best second basemen of his generation. Now, the argument is if he has anything left in the tank to help out a ball club. For the Yankees, the answer is no.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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