SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Giants are reportedly looking to cut a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in order to acquire second-baseman Chase Utley.
Giants General Manager Bobby Evans confirmed the report that the Giants had entered the running for Utley on Twitter. The team has apparently already made an offer for the 36-year-old Utley that the Phillies have yet to respond to.
After clearing waivers last week, Utley became trade-eligible. Other teams that have expressed interest in acquiring Utley include both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, Chicago Cubs, and the New York Yankees.
According to an unconfirmed report by Bob Nightengale of the USA Today, the Cubs and Angels are two of the front-runners for a trade deal.
The Giants are determined to acquire the veteran Utley to provide the team with a solid replacement for Joe Panik, who as of today is still on the disabled list with a back injury. Panik is not expected to return for a few more weeks.
Utley himself was on the 15-day disabled list after suffering an ankle injury back on June 24 that took him out of commission for a month. Utley is playing through a subpar season, though since returning from his injury, he has seen his stats somewhat improve.
The baseman is still owed about $4 million until the end of the season.
Utley is a native of Southern California, who was born in Pasadena and grew up in Long Beach. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and later UCLA. Utley was drafted in the 1997 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers but didn’t sign with the team.
A few years later, he was drafted as amateur to the Phillies in 2000, with whom he made his major league debut with in 2003. He has held a spot on the team’s roster for 13 seasons and has been voted an MLB All-Star six times.
