Dodgers Add Depth With Chase Utley and Franklin Gutierrez Agreements

The Dodgers added some finishing touches on their 2017 team just days before pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training on Wednesday.

According to multiple reports, the Dodgers agreed to one-year deals with free-agent second baseman Chase Utley and outfielder Franklin Gutierrez.

Utley reportedly turned down higher offers from other teams in order to return to the Dodgers in a bench role. The 38-year-old started at second base for Los Angeles in 2016, and will enter into his 15^th season this spring.

Bringing back Utley comes as a bit of a surprise for the boys in blue after the team traded for second baseman Logan Forsythe with the Tampa Bay Rays. However, after the trade was made, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said that the trade for Forsythe did not mean Utley would not return and told reporters that he was in talks with Utley and his agent.

"You never say never with a guy like Chase," Friedman said at the time. "Just because of the guy he is and the impact that he has."

The six-time All-Star appeared in 138 games for the Dodgers last season and batted .252 with 14 home runs and a .319 on-base-percentage as the team's primary leadoff hitter. 

Utley will likely be used as left-handed hitter off the bench in 2017, but could start at second base against some right-handers with Forsythe possibly giving Justin Turner days off at third base or vice versa. 

Meanwhile, the Gutierrez signing seems to be more of a head-scratcher. The veteran outfielder now gives the Dodgers eight different outfielders entering into spring training. 

Trayce Thompson missed the second half of last season with two broken vertebraes in his back, and if he starts the season on the 60-day disabled list, Gutierrez could get some time in centerfield against left-handed pitching.

However, the 12-year veteran has played more games at the corner outfield positions in recent years (left field in 2015 and right field in 2016) and is not accustomed to facing National League pitching after spending the entirety of his Major League career in the American League.

Originally, Gutierrez was scouted and signed by the Dodgers out of Venezuela in 2000, but he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2004 for Milton Bradley. 

Gutierrez blossomed into a Gold Glove winning outfielder with the Seattle Mariners and a perennial powerhouse against left-handed pitching with a .289 batting average and .846 OPS over his career.

Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to the Dodgers facility at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Wednesday, February 15^th, with the first full team workout scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21.

It's official! #Dodgers sign Chase Utley to a one-year deal — Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 11, 2017