MLB Betting Trades and Other Rumors Around the League

The big trade deadline in Major League Baseball each year is July 31. If trades don’t take place before then, teams have to expose players to waiver claims before they can trade them. However, MLB betting fans and their teams have another important trade deadline August 31. If the trade does not happen by then, then the players being shipped are not eligible to be on a postseason roster. One of the big names floating around the August 31 deadline is Phillies second baseman Chase Utley.

MLB Betting Trades and Other Rumors Around the League

When you hear that Chase Utley may be traded today… pic.twitter.com/WfG3hSaOnt

— Life Of A Philly Fan (@PhillyFanLife) August 19, 2015

Utley is one of the last remaining players from the Phillies teams that won the World Series in 2008 and went back in 2009, falling to the New York Yankees. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Brookover, the Phillies are waiting on Utley to decide whether he wants to be traded or not, as the team is waiting to give their second base job to Cesar Hernandez. Utley is a 10-5 player, which means that he has a minimum of 10 years of service at the major league level, including the last five or more with the same team. Given that Utley is one of the most competitive players in the game, it doesn’t make sense that he would exercise those 10-5 rights and turn down a trade to a contender. The Cubs, Angels and Giants all have interest in bringing Utley to their rosters. He did hit well below .200 for much of the year until he went on the disabled list. After that, though, he has played well, bringing his trade value up. What do the Phils want in return? According to ESPN Insider Jim Bowden, the Phillies might send Utley and some money to San Francisco in exchange for Kyle Crick, a talented pitching prospect. The Giants’ second baseman, Joe Panik, is still recovering from a lower back injury.

Chase Utley Update

The Phillies finally decided to trade 2nd baseman Chase Utley and add 2 million dollars to the LA Dodgers in exchange for two minor league players, outfielder Darnell Sweeney and right-hander John Richy. The Utley drama is not the only rumor swirling in Major League Baseball right now, though. There are some people thinking that Washington might fire Matt Williams despite the Nats’ contending in the National League East right now. If he goes through with it, he might have Wally Backman, currently the manager of the Mets’ AAA team in Las Vegas, in mind. Rizzo and Backman worked together within the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, where Rizzo directed scouting operations and Backman was a minor-league skipper. The New York Mets might be looking for another bullpen arm since Bobby Parnell continues to struggle, reports the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. David Aardsma, Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed, Edward Mujica and John Axford have all cleared waivers. Even though Mets GM Sandy Alderson has indicated that trading for a reliever is not in the cards right now, if Parnell continues to struggle, that could change. And finally, what has happened to Leonys Martin? The Texas Rangers’ outfielder had seen his average plummet to .220 before the team finally sent him back down to the minors earlier in August. According to the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant, the problem could be a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, an injury that could put him on the shelf for the remainder of 2015.