Reports indicate that the Philadelphia Phillies will not deal Cliff Lee or Chase Utley before the trade deadline, and may even be looking to make Utley a Phillie for life.
Lee and Utley have both been the subject of rumors over a potential trade as the Phillies look to rebuild, but ESPN has reported the Phillies likely won't deal either of the two.
Lee, a former Cy Young Award winner, drew interest from some teams looking to acquire a pitcher at the deadline, but it doesn't look like the 34-year-old ace will be on the move. The left-hander is owed $70 million on his contract which runs through 2015 and has been consistent for Philadelphia this season.
Lee is 10-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 20 starts this season. Philadelphia (50-56) has been in a spiral since the All-Star break, losing eight out of 10 games to fall to third place in the National League East and 11.5 games out of the division lead.
Meanwhile, Utley, another potential trade candidate, may also be staying put with the Phillies as they are trying to work on an extension with the four-time All-Star. It looks like the one-time World Series champion and the Phillies are trying to strike either a three-year deal or a two-year deal with an option for a third. Utley is due to be a free agent at the end of the year and is currently finishing up his seven-year $85 million dollar contract. Utley, 34, has played in Philadelphia since 2003 throughout the span of his 11-year career and has made $15 million a year over the last four seasons.
The new deal would likely see Utley make in the neighborhood of $13 million per season.
Utley has played in 77 games this season and is hitting .277 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI with a slugging percentage of .498. Utley's health has always been a concern to the Phillies as he's only played more than 132 games four times in his 11 seasons.
Philadelphia reached the World Series in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009, winning it all in 2008, but since then the team has gotten progressively worse each season leading to speculation that they might move some of their veterans. There is still potential for third baseman Michael Young to be traded. Young has a no-trade clause but has said he would agree to waive it to go back to the Texas Rangers.
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