MLB Trade Rumors: Phillies Deal Chase Utley to the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Philadelphia Phillies have traded veteran Chase Utley to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal was finalized after Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Phillies also gave the Dodgers roughly $4 million to offset the $6 million that is left on Utley's contract. The Dodgers will be sending two minor league players - outfielder Darnell Sweeney and right-hander John Richy. Utley, who has been with the Phillies for his entire baseball career, is in the last year of his contract.

The Dodgers designated third baseman Alberto Callaspo for assignment in order to make room for Utley on the 40-man roster.

"Three weeks ago or so, I had a conversation with Ruben [Amaro Jr.]," Utley said during a news conference. "We put our heads together and decided it might be best for us to part ways. I gave them a list of a handful of teams that I would consider playing for, and then it was Ruben's job to find the best deal he could for the organization. And ultimately it came down to the Dodgers, a team I grew up watching."

Amaro, the Phillies' general manager, had said the day before the trade that Utley would most likely stay in Philadelphia for the rest of the season.

"Chase is an iconic, generational player here in Philadelphia, and arguably one of the most popular and most successful players we've ever had in our organization," Amaro said. "To have to take him away from our organization and put him in another one is not what I'd consider to be particularly gratifying. But I can say that I believe this is the best thing for all parties at this stage of the Phillies' development and this stage of Chase's career."

Utley reportedly wanted to go to Southern California. His options, other than the Dodgers, were the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

The Dodgers, who are first in the NL West, lost their starting second baseman, Howie Kendrick, to a strained hamstring. Even though their backup, Kike Hernandez is currently batting .343 since Kendrick was sidelined, having a six-time All-Star on the roster could not hurt.

"He has a lot of attributes as a player that we felt would make him a great addition," general manager Farhan Zaidi said. "As far as the clubhouse goes, his reputation there is as strong as anybody's, and deservedly so. He has a championship pedigree and he's viewed as a leader by teammates. He has a desire to win that's as strong as anybody's, and that can be a huge boost."

Utley will also be reuniting with Jimmy Rollins, who went to the Dodgers after playing in Philly for 15 years.

"He can add a lot,'' Rollins said. "The way he's swung the bat since he's been playing, anyone could use that and we can definitely use it. He does have experience. He's a tough guy. He brings that with him. More than anything, there will be some new excitement in the clubhouse.''

Utley, 36, is having one of the worst seasons of his career. He is batting .217 with five homeruns and 30 RBIs. Utley will become a free agent at the end of the season.