PN Roundtable: Re-sign Chase Utley?

Chase Utley, image- Joe Wombough

Over at PhilliesNation.com, we fielded the topic of the Phillies' potentially re-signing Chase Utley, as a report from CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury popped up on Thursday stating the team had begun negotiating with the five-time All-Star on a new deal.

Rumors started flying this morning that the Phillies might be nearing a contract extension with Chase Utley. Is this a wise move for the organization? What combination of years-and-dollars would you be comfortable with the Phillies offering Utley?

My answer: It will take me exactly two words to explain why re-signing Chase Utley is a bad idea for the Phillies. Cesar Hernandez. The Phils have a 23-year-old Venezuelan born Triple-A All-Star who is ready for the big leagues at Chase Utley’s position. Hernandez, who is batting .310 with two homers and 29 steals in 86 games for Lehigh Valley this year, has the skills and ability to be a starter at the big league level.

The Phillies can’t hold on to all of their aging stars. With Ryan Howard locked in with an unmovable contract and Jimmy Rollins slated to be around at a fair price, it’s the Utleys and the Ruiz’s that will allow the Phils to trim some payroll while getting younger and improving for the future.

To read the full entry with several answers from our other Phillies Nation writers, click here.

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