Phillies trade rumors: Cubs considering trade for Chase Utley

Chicago might not be done adding depth to its roster. Chase Utley would have to be placed on and subsequently claimed off of waivers to be traded, and according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs have expressed a notable amount of interest in the veteran second baseman.

Wittenmyer adds there are at least two other teams interested in Utley, including the Angels, which might make trying to trade him this month challenging. Utley's current deal includes a full no-trade clause, however Wittenmyer notes Utley would likely waive them for an opportunity to play with a contending club.

The Cubs were able to acquire starter Dan Haren and reliever Tommy Hunter before Friday's non-waiver trade deadline. Now that the club has a fair amount of pitching depth, it is reportedly seeking an additional bat. Utley might be ideal because he could provide power from the left-handed side of the plate.

Utley, 36, is on the disabled list as a result of an ankle injury. He has posted a .179/.257/.275 batting line to complement four home runs and 25 RBIs through 65 games this season. Utley is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday and would need to have 251 more plate appearances for his 2016 option to be activated.

Starlin Castro has struggled offensively in 2015 (batting .235 through 100 games) and the Cubs want Triple-A shortstop Javier Baez to have an impact in the foreseeable future.

In order for an August deal to be made, a team granted a claim on a waived player has an opportunity to make a deal before the other club involved determines whether or not to pull the player back from waivers.