Since July 19, Stephen Drew is hitting .240 with a .269 on-base percentage, .709 OPS, two homers and eight RBIs in 16 games. Brendan Ryan has played in 12, posting a .237 average, .256 OBP and .651 OPS.

That s a statistical way of saying the Yankees' offensive production at second base in the last three weeks has been, to put it nicely, offensive.Why is that date significant? Simple. It s the one when general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi decided to give the proverbial quick hook to the Rob Refsnyder experiment in New York.The talented youngster spent four games in the majors, hit a homer at Fenway, and was gone once it became evident there would be an adjustment period for a player getting his first crack at life in the bigs. He got sent down, and ever since, Refsnyder has been raking with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.What can we glean from all of this? Also, simple. Girardi has tremendous say in the construction of the Yankees roster as he should, being the manager and he's most comfortable with the Drew-Ryan platoon, the defense that it brings, and the occasional pop Drew can offer at the plate.It really is a fascinating dilemma for the Yankees. They're in first place, and first-place teams generally like to stick with known commodities.Well, there is a solution that would enable the Yankees to stick with a veteran at second and gamble that the offense will improve. Even if they're unwilling to dip into the current farm system to do it, they can get it done with a look to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's past.Chase Utley is available. The Phillies placed him on waivers over the weekend, and since he cleared them officially Tuesday, he can be dealt to any team who can come to a compromise with the Phillies.The San Francisco Giants have been reported to be the most-interested team in acquiring his services, but the New York Post reported Wednesday that the Yankees would like to at least speak with the Phillies about an Utley deal, too.Utley is one of the best second basemen of his generation. He's a gamer. A consummate winner. He played the 2002 season and parts of 2003 and 2004 with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons the Phillies top minor league team at the time. He is in the argument as the greatest Red Barons player ever. He may be the only argument.That was a long time ago. Although it doesn't seem that way, so is 2008, when he hit .332 and led the Phillies to the world championship. So is 2009, when he hit more than 30 homers for the third time in four seasons. He hasn't hit more than 18 homers or better than .284 since.This season, he is at .196, with no power and peripheral numbers that rival Drew's.But watching the Yankees play over the last week, it's clear they need some kind of offensive spark, and it's difficult to think that Utley's skills have eroded so badly that he wouldn't be able to provide it. This is a team that needs a gamer.That said, there are some things to consider, on both sides:* How big an upgrade would Utley be?The Yankees would likely be trading for a player they'd have to platoon. While he's hitting just .197 against them, almost all of his production this season has come against right-handed pitching. As recently as last season, he hit .286 and slugged .430 against righties, so it stands to reason he'd be an immediate upgrade over Drew, who has actually hit lefties (.717 OPS) better than righties (.620) this season.* What would the Phillies want in return?This is the big question for the Yankees. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is not shy to ask for something he knows he'll have no shot to get, so it's conceivable he'll request Aaron Judge in return. The Yankees were not willing to deal Judge or Greg Bird or Luis Severino for anything at the trading deadline, so there's no way they'd reverse course for a player who would be no more than a rental.That said, this is one of the rare instances where a team would likely be viewed as justified for demanding more than a player is worth. Utley is a platoon option at second base for the Yankees, but he's still Chase Utley to Phillies fans. He's a marquee draw at Citizens Bank Park, and with very little to root for this season, maybe a one-month farewell tour for Utley would be all that packs the park in September.The Yankees or anybody else would have to make trading an icon worth it to the Phillies.* What if it doesn't work?Let's say the Yankees deal for Utley and he's no better than Drew. No matter who they gave up to get him, the Yankees still have a problem at second.But, at least they have some options. They can go back to Drew. They can use Ryan more, if he continues to hit in spots. Hey, they can even call Refsnyder back up.Bottom line is, the Yankees can't look at Chase Utley as a solution to a problem, when he'd really be more of an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle. And the Phillies can't expect a ton in return for that reason.At the end of the day, though, who would Yankees fans bet on most to be a reliable second baseman the rest of the way? The heart may say Refsnyder. But history might point the arrow toward Philadelphia.