Yanks deal Rutherford, Clarkin to White Sox
Last June, Blake Rutherford said it "meant everything to be drafted by the Yankees." Thirteen months later, he's trading his pinstripes for pale hose.The Yankees traded their third-ranked prospect along with No. 19 prospect Ian Clarkin, right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard and outfielder Tito Polo to the White Sox late Tuesday night
Last June, Blake Rutherford said it "meant everything to be drafted by the Yankees." Thirteen months later, he's trading his pinstripes for pale hose.
The Yankees traded their third-ranked prospect along with No. 19 prospect Ian Clarkin, right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard and outfielder Tito Polo to the White Sox late Tuesday night for third baseman Todd Frazier and right-handed relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle.
Rutherford was the 18th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, despite being billed as the top prep hitter in last year's class coming into the season. Signability concerns were a major factor in his slide, but that didn't faze New York, which ponied up $3.28 million to keep him from attending UCLA.
The 20-year-old outfielder was batting .281/.342/.391 with two homers and nine stolen bases in 71 games with Class A Charleston this season after crushing the Rookie-level Gulf Coast and Appalachian leagues with a .351/.415/.570 line in 33 games in 2016.
Clarkin was 4-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 75 2/3 innings for Class A Advanced Tampa and has improved across the board after his 2016 season in the Florida State League was cut short by knee surgery. The 22-year-old left-hander also missed the entire 2015 campaign due to elbow inflammation.
It's been a rough season for Clippard, who had a 4.95 ERA and five blown saves in six chances in 40 relief appearances. He recently lost his role as the Yankees' seventh-inning specialist.
Polo, 22, started the season with Tampa but had been tearing it up since a promotion to Double-A Trenton, where he had a .382/.460/.545 slash line, 17 RBIs, 14 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 14 games.
The addition of Rutherford gives the White Sox yet another highly touted youngster, joining a system that already boasts Top 50 prospects Yoán Moncada, Eloy Jiménez, Michael Kopech, Luis Robert, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. Immediately after the trade, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn announced that Moncada would join the White Sox for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
Frazier was batting .207/.328/.432 after a slow start that saw him hit four homers in his first 35 games this season. The New Jersey native has an .861 OPS and 12 homers in his last 46 games, however, to more closely resemble the player he's been throughout his career.
Robertson returns to the Yankees, who drafted him in the 17th round in 2006. He was the team's closer following the retirement of Mariano Rivera and recorded 39 saves in 2014 before signing with Chicago as a free agent. He has 13 saves, a 2.70 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings this season.
Perhaps the most valuable asset in the deal is Kahnle, a 27-year-old right-hander who also was drafted by the Yankees. The 2010 fifth-round pick left the organization when the Rockies took him in the 2013 Rule 5 draft and spent two seasons in Colorado before moving to Chicago's South Side.
Not only is Kahnle under contract through 2020, he has a 2.50 ERA over 36 innings this season with 60 strikeouts and seven walks.
Chris Tripodi is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @christripodi.
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