Chase Utley is relinquishing his title as King of the Mets to become an ambassador in the UK for Major League Baseball.

Via Natasha Dye at People Magazine:

Utley, 43, who helped the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series in 2008, says he and his family will “travel around Europe a little bit” before he begins his new role with the MLB in London.

“I’m going to work for Major League Baseball as their ambassador to the U.K.,” Utley says.

His main goal will be “promoting baseball” in London, where the sport has been growing in popularity for years.

Chase Utley continuing to show why he made a great teammate, because leaving Southern California for dreary Ol’ England has to suck. You’re trading in sunshine and great food for rain and whatever the hell this is:

All for the love of the game.

I wonder how much this has to do with his good buddy Mac moving over there for a part of the year now that he and Ryan Reynolds own Wrexham. Maybe Chase builds a solid MLB pipeline from Europe to the U.S. and then decides he wants to coach Wrexham after a couple of down years at the club. We’d have a real life Ted Lasso situation. Could you imagine? Before the big championship game against the Yankees of their league, Chase shows the club the 2007 Phillies Video Yearbook when they came back to win the NL East. The team inspired by Jimmy Rollins’ never say die attitude and Harry Kalas’ velvety smooth voice goes out and upsets the team in the championship to be promoted to the next league. Storybook ending kind of stuff.