Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro said Thursday that he expects Chase Utley to remain with the Phillies after the trade deadline. This comes on the heels of a report from Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that suggested the Phillies might be nearing an extended with the second baseman. The club would have no shortage of suitors if they put Utley on the trade block, but it appears they're more interested in making him a Phillie for life.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com suspects that the Phillies are nearing an extension with Chase Utley. Salisbury -- one of the more plugged-in beat writers in the business -- calls it a "hunch" based on "observations, conversations and signs." The Phillies have not engaged in trade talks for Utley, who is scheduled to hit the free agent market in November, and there have been a few recent rumblings about long-term negotiations. It's odd that a team in need of young talent would be locking up a 34-year-old second baseman, but Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't always do things that make sense.

Chase Utley went 3-for-4 in a loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday. Utley was the only real bright spot for the Phillies, poking three singles to raise his season line to .286/.344/.523. Utley has 13 home runs and seven stolen bases on the year as well. When healthy, the 34-year-old is still one of the best offensive options at the keystone.

Chase Utley homered, tripled and plated three runs, leading the Phillies offensive onslaught in Friday's 13-8 victory over the Mets. Utley finished the night 2-for-5 and also scored a pair of runs. He opened the scoring with an RBI triple in the first inning, then added a towering two-run homer off Josh Edgin in the fifth. Even though he missed time due to injury, he's having a nice bounceback season, hitting .275/.335/.510 with 12 homers, 33 RBI and seven steals in 68 games.

Chase Utley is not in the Phillies' Game 1 lineup Saturday. Utley will likely be available for Game 2 of the doubleheader. Kevin Frandsen is filling in for him at second base.

Chase Utley is not in the Phillies' lineup Friday. It appears to just be a day of rest. Kevin Frandsen is filling in for Utley at second base.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that if the Phillies decide to trade Chase Utley, the Blue Jays would be one of the teams that bids on him. The Dodgers and Royals have also been mentioned as possible landing spots, and a number of other teams would surely have interest. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro finally conceded recently that the club might be sellers at the trade deadline.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes that the "word going around the game" is that the Dodgers could have interest in trading for Chase Utley. Heyman isn't sure whether the Dodgers have contacted the Phillies regarding Utley's availability, so it appears to be all rumors at this point. Utley would make sense for a lot of contending teams should the Phillies decide to be sellers, but GM Ruben Amaro said recently that he viewed the second baseman as "a Phillie for life." Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Royals could have interest in Utley.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Royals have discussed the possibility of trading for Chase Utley. It's not clear how far those discussions went, but, at least on the surface, Utley would make sense to fill the Royals' hole at second base. To this point, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro has expressed a hesitancy of being a seller at the trade deadline, but he could certainly change his mind over the next few weeks.

Chase Utley went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer and two RBI in a loss to the Dodgers on Thursday. He's now working on a six-game hitting streak. Utley, a free agent this winter who is reportedly being shopped by the Phillies in advance of the Trade Deadline, has posted a respectable .275/.341/.487 slash line with nine homers and 28 RBI over 189 at-bats.