MLB Rumors: Latest Reports Following 2015 Trade Deadline

The 2015 MLB trade deadline has passed, but there are still rumors circulating around baseball worthy of attention and analysis.

Whether it's a potential new addition for a playoff contender, justification for another club being rather quiet at the deadline or the future of a departing team president, a variety of buzz exists at present. 

Read on for the specifics surrounding those respective situations as the MLB regular season enters the final stretch.

Cubs Reportedly Mulling Chase Utley

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

According to the Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer, Chicago is considering adding second baseman Chase Utley prior to the waiver deadline if the Philadelphia Phillies place the veteran on waivers.

Utley started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, working his way back into position to play after dealing with nagging right ankle inflammation that landed him on the disabled list.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon doesn't believe the club will do anything drastic the rest of the way.

"Of course it can [happen], but I don't expect anything," said Maddon, per Wittenmyer. "We got the pitchers we were looking for. Of course they can do something, but conversationally this is pretty much what we have talked about."

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

If Utley plays well in his stint with Lehigh Valley, perhaps his trade value can increase. The Phillies would do well to part with the 36-year-old considering they're the worst team in baseball right now, and Utley is going to eat up a lot of the payroll through 2018.

Chicago has a rich pool of young prospects that is paying huge dividends in 2015, so the rebuilding Phillies may be able to swing a deal with an eye toward the future. As for what this potential trade would mean for the Cubs, Utley is a solid depth option, but he'll need to prove he can still play at a high level.

With a meager .179 batting average in 65 games this season, Utley may serve as more of a mentor to second baseman Addison Russell, third baseman Kris Bryant and the other Chicago youngsters. It's in Utley's hands, since he has a no-trade clause he can waive.

Boston Didn't Pursue Aroldis Chapman

John Minchillo/Associated Press

The Red Sox are like the Phillies in that they're languishing in last place in their division. Standing pat at the deadline didn't inspire much optimism for MLB fans in Boston, and one of the big names the Red Sox reportedly didn't go after is Aroldis Chapman.

WEEI.com's John Tomase reports Chapman wasn't a serious consideration for Boston, which could have potentially plugged the Cincinnati Reds closer into the starting rotation instead as a possible future ace.

Converting Chapman into a starter wasn't something the Red Sox were interested in. It may be too late for the 27-year-old to change gears at this point, something ESPN.com's Chad Dotson laments:

Chapman was once extended a lucrative contract offer by the Red Sox when he was first entering the big leagues in 2009. It would have been quite a story to see Chapman ultimately head to Beantown and pitch regularly at Fenway Park with his effortless triple-digits fastball.

The tools are there for Chapman to start, but it'd be tough for him to summon the stamina required to take on such a drastic role change.

With an astonishing career clip of 15.41 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.49 K's to every walk (h/t FanGraphs), Chapman is a tantalizing talent who could be a raging success as a starter with anything even close to those projections.

Departing Red Sox President to Join New Club?

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Bleacher Report's Scott Miller reports Boston Red Sox CEO and president Larry Lucchino will take some time away from the game before "maybe" making one final run with a different team.

Gordon Edes of ESPN.com and multiple other reports have indicated Lucchino is going to step down at the end of the year. The Red Sox have certainly fallen on hard times of late, in line for a second straight year of missing the playoffs, not long removed from winning the 2013 World Series.

Sources told Edes that Boston isn't forcing Lucchino out of his role due to the club's poor results. It's simply a parting of ways that happens to coincide with a down time for the storied franchise.

Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald praised Lucchino for the way he ran the show from the time he started in 2002:

As for what's next in such a vital leadership role in the Red Sox organization, Lucchino has made his hopes for the future well known, per Edes:

"

I believe the end of this year is a good time for this change. We would have preferred to announce all of our transition plans at once, including my new role, but I can tell you we all feel strongly that Sam Kennedy, who has been with me for 20 years, should be the next President of the Boston Red Sox.

"

Lucchino oversaw the development of a club that allowed the Red Sox to break their lengthy World Series drought in 2004—and delivered two additional Commissioner's Trophies during his tenure. His place in Boston lore is secure, and based on the team's current trajectory, now seems like an appropriate time to walk away.

Given his experience as president in Baltimore and San Diego before his time with the Red Sox, Lucchino should have no problem seeking a job when he's ready. But he could also walk away for good and find a place in Cooperstown before long.