After playing nearly 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, second baseman Chase Utley will be leaving the club as he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguers Darnell Sweeney and John Richy.
According to ESPN, the Phillies will also be giving $4 million to the Dodgers to offset the $6 million remaining in Utley's $15 million salary.
Utley is batting .271 this season with 30 runs batted in (RBIs) and five home runs in 71 regular season games played.
Before getting dealt to Los Angeles, the 36-year-old was reported to be leaving the Phillies soon and was linked to joining the Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, and the Chicago Cubs.
According to Utley, the most memorable moment he had with the Phillies was when they won the World Series in 2008.
"Nothing is better than that. The way the city reacted to that team was truly special, something I will never forget. Going down Broad Street after winning the World Series was an amazing feeling. But ... it's time," Utley said in a press conference last Wednesday.
Those days are long gone as the Phillies hold the worst record in Major League Baseball (MLB) this season and have missed the playoffs in the past three seasons.
The trade to the Dodgers will reunite Utley with shortstop Jimmy Rollins who was also traded by the Phillies to the Dodgers last December.
In a report by ESPN, Rollins said he has been communicating with Utley in recent weeks when trade rumors started to circulate and, before the trade materialized, was looking forward to seeing Utley play at Dodgers Stadium.
To have a roster space for Utley, the Dodgers designated third baseman Alberto Callaspo for assignment.
ESPN added in their report that Utley is expected to debut as a Dodger Friday in the first game of their three-game series against the Houston Astros on the road.
