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Giglio: Utley Hurting Phils More Than Howard

By Joe Giglio

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As the Phillies pray to the baseball gods and hope a "mental break" helps Chase Utley wake up from a season-long slump, rapid decline from the 36-year-old second baseman is evident for anyone watching since last June.

With a .103 batting average, Utley is currently the worst hitter among those qualified for the batting title. If you want to use luck as an excuse, as Ruben Amaro did earlier this week, be ready to explain how bad luck has led to a .231/.303/.353 batting line over the last calendar year.

How bad are those numbers? Bad enough to make Ryan Howard the second biggest long-term problem for the Phillies organization.

Take a look at how each have performed over the last year:

Utley: 11 home runs, .656 OPS

Howard: 21 home runs, .666 OPS

While it's easy to cite Utley's all-around game vs. Howard's power-only skill set, the former isn't exactly a slick defender or great base runner any longer. As the Phillies assess the roster moving forward, the idea of Utley's contract becoming more of a problem than Howard's isn't hard to imagine.

During Wednesday's WIP Morning Show, Al Morganti debated with MLB.com's Todd Zolecki about the merits of sitting Utley enough this summer to ensure his contract option for 2016 doesn't trigger. If Utley reaches 500 at-bats -- a near certainty if he's a healthy everyday player -- the team will be on the hook for $15 million next season.

Thanks to the wonderful contract writing skills of Ruben Amaro Jr., that same clause is present for both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In other words, if Utley simply shows up to Citizens Bank Park healthy and able to play, the Phillies are going to be on the hook for $15 million per year through the end of the 2018 season.

Howard, of course, is owned a ton of money, but at least the deal is effectively over after next year. Barring someone crazy enough to trade for Howard, he'll be gone no later than the minute the front office writes him a $10 million buyout check after the 2016 season.

It's easy to yell and scream about Howard's strikeouts, albatross contract and eroding skill set. Unlike Utley, the $125 million figure hangs over his head and causes fans to disapprove of every strikeout and runner left on base.

Yet, despite the legitimate reasons to criticize the team and player when it comes to Howard's situation, it's actually Utley that could turn out to be the contract that haunts the Phillies for longer -- especially if a player like Odubel Herrera needs to move back to second base to accommodate center field prospect Roman Quinn.

Utley won't hit .103 for much longer and there is a legitimate case to be made, using advanced stats or just your eyes, that the line drives he keeps smacking will eventually become base hits. But even if that sub-.400 OPS creeps closer to the mid-.600s, Utley is still a player in major decline.

Utley's near-Hall of Fame career is worth celebrating, but his rapid decline could hurt the Phillies for even longer than the Ryan Howard contract we talk so much about.

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