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[Updates to this piece are ongoing and included at the bottom.]
Yesterday, many Phillies fans breathed a sigh of relief when Ruben Amaro said on WIP that Chase Utley was likely to stay with the Phillies until the end of the season. Many writers and analysts, including this often-wrong gentleman wearing what appears to be a blonde otter on his head, interpreted that to mean that Utley himself wasn't approving any trades. And since Utley has a full no-trade clause, the buck stops there. If Utley doesn't want to go, he doesn't go.
But 24 hours later that's all changed. Brace yourselves for some serious whiplash.
Sources: Utley situation with #Phillies coming to head. Trade possible today.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 19, 2015
That statement is the 100% opposite of what Ruben Amaro said on the radio yesterday. Yesterday! 24 hours ago! No other writer or baseball insider has said anything akin to this. It seems completely out of left field. Yet it's Ken Rosenthal, so we can't ignore it.
Plus, if you were to ask me who would be more likely to lie about this situation, Ruben Amaro or Ken Rosenthal, there's no contest. I actually get the impression that Amaro enjoys doing stuff like this. Maybe he knows he's not going to be brought back next year, and as a big fuck you to Phillies fans, he decided to play with our emotions by saying that Utley wasn't going anywhere and then trading him immediately. That seems like an Amaro thing to do.
Rosenthal's tweet is literally the only information we have about this right now. He doesn't mention any teams besides the Phillies, so it's a mystery as to which team's offer may have caught Utley's eye. Jayson Stark, who contributed to this story about Utley staying in Philly just yesterday, tweeted this in response to Rosenthal:
As @Ken_Rosenthal tweeted, source says Utley "could get dealt today." Would likely be to #Dodgers or #Angels b/c Utley prefers southern Cal.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) August 19, 2015
No additional concrete info, just confirming what we already knew about Utley's likely landing spots. But it's worth noting that he doesn't doubt Rosenthal for a second, even though he knows exactly what Amaro said yesterday.
Stay strong, everyone. We can get through this together.
UPDATE - 3:05 PM: Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly has weighed in with actual new information.
Person close to Utley says if trade does not happen today he stays with Phillies. He is not expected to be in Phils' lineup tonight
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) August 19, 2015
So this is it. These next few hours could be the last ones Utley spends in a Phillies uniform. But if Utley's still here nine hours from now, we don't have to deal with Utley leaving until November. Stay tuned...
YET ANOTHER UPDATE - 3:15 PM: Todd Zolecki tweeted this just moments after I published my previous update.
Sources: Phillies, Dodgers moving closer to deal for Chase Utley. Nothing finalized. http://t.co/SbygZUsEEd
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) August 19, 2015
A team name! The thought of Utley and Jimmy Rollins together again is glorious, but imagining them on the field in Dodgers uniforms is unsettling and wrong. But it may be the future. Continue to stay tuned as more information is released faster than I can write about it!
UPDATE THE THIRD - 3:50 PM - How things have changed in the last 40 minutes. We have more than a team name now. We have info on money and other players.
while deal hasn't been signed yet, sides have agreed on deal of utley plus 2M to LA for 2 minor leaguers.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) August 19, 2015
Seems like this is going to happen, folks. You don't usually hear about money and players until things are in the final stages. We'll have full coverage if this does indeed happen. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy some scotch.