Yankees acquire two former all stars in trade with White Sox

He acquired effective relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle and added beef to his lineup with slugger Todd Frazier. The Yankees also traded left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, Clippard and outfielder Tito Polo. The former Yankees farmhand lost in the Rule 5 Draft back in 2013 was the critical part of this deal since he is under team control for three more years and will just be entering his arbitration years.

It was nothing short of an exciting day on the South Side with the Dodgers being in town and rolling out Clayton Kershaw, the addition of more prospects to bulk up their flourishing minor league system and, oh, let’s not forget about Moncada. Dellin Betances has been struggling with his control (7.76 BB/9) even as he leads Major League Baseball in K/9 (16.95) and Aroldis Chapman has seen his ERA ballooned to 3.42 (although his 1.82 FIP and.390 BABIP suggest it’s a fluke).

But for now, the Yankees still have some ground to make up. Clippard had overstayed his welcome with his sub-par numbers in 2017. If Rutherford turns into a good player for the White Sox, so be it. They have built up one of the best farm systems in baseball and are starting to show enormous promise because of it. So, without the opportunity to match Chris Sale, David Price, Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rick Porcello, the Yankees general manager did the next best thing – he bolstered every other corner of the roster. Robertson, who played for the Yankees from 2008 through 2014, has been on fire recently, having posted a 1.38 ERA and 13.2 K/9 since June 6.

Clippard comes to the White Sox after pitching in 40 games this season with the Yankees in relief, posting a 4.95 ERA with 42 strikeouts and one save. Therefore, getting a return of top prospects shows a great job by the front office. Kahnle, the smallest name on his way to NY, is also in the midst of a great season, with a 2.50 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 37 games.

What started in December of 2016 has now completed as the 1st phase of the rebuild now is complete with the 2nd phase of making smart decisions with future high draft selection and developing the talent about to start. In his season with Charleston he hit.281 with 2 homers and 30 RBI. However, he does have a road OPS of.923 and 11 home runs and 27 runs batted in away from Chicago. He has an earned-run average of 2.70 and has struck out 47 batters in 33.1 innings. Many believed that he should have started the season up at the major league level, but he was able to put in some good work down at Triple-A Charlotte.