The Philadelphia Phillies may be a step closer to trading former franchise cornerstone Chase Utley. After putting the veteran on waivers, reports are now surfacing that he's cleared said waivers, enabling any team to trade for the infielder prior to the August 31st.
The borderline Hall of Famer is having the worst season of what has been a tremendous 13-year career. He is hitting just .190 with four homers and 28 RBI's in 69 games this season. In addition, Utley's .262 on-base percentage would be the lowest mark of his career by a ridiculous 46 points.
Despite his struggles, contending teams are interested in the 36-year-old infielder. The San Francisco Giants, who lost Joe Panik to the 15-day disabled list last week, scouted Utley over the weekend. In addition to this, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels could show interest in the veteran.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days. Though, anyone expecting Utley to break out big time should he be traded will be sorely disappointed. He's nothing more than a part-time player on a good team at this stage in his career.