Cleveland Indians: 3 Reasons Why Adding Chase Utley Makes Perfect Sense

Indians fans were excited when the team signed Edwin Encarnacion, even though it meant Mike Napoli would not be returning next season.

The swap is an upgrade on the field, but Napoli emerged as a clear veteran leader for the club last season. He stepped in and was one of the faces of the franchise after just a few months, and his guidance surely helped this team as it progressed throughout the regular season and the postseason.

Signing Utley could help fill this void.

The veteran has plenty of playoff experience with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, and was a part of the Phillies’ championship team in 2008. This type of experience would be extremely helpful to a young team that may have been a bit overwhelmed by the experience in 2016.

Fans often overlook the need for a veteran leader on a team. This current Indians squad has some veterans already, but Utley would give the team an extra voice that would only help.

This team may go through a rough stretch during the regular season, which is easy to do when the season is so long and the ultimate goal is a championship. If this happens, Utley can assist the coaching staff in providing a veteran voice to keep things in perspective and keep the focus on playing games one day at a time.

This is not to say the team is unprepared for adversity in 2017, but an extra voice never hurts.