CHICAGO - The Chicago White Sox have acquired outfielder Blake Rutherford, the No. 30 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, outfielder Tito Polo and right-hander Tyler Clippard from the New York Yankees in exchange for third baseman Todd Frazier and right-handers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson.
With the addition of Rutherford, the White Sox now possess 10 of the Top 100 prospects in baseball according to MLB.com (all in the top 68), the most in the major leagues. He joins infielder Yoán Moncada (1), outfielder Eloy Jiménez (8), right-hander Michael Kopech (11), outfielder Luis Robert (23), right-handers Lucas Giolito (28), Reynaldo López (36), Carson Fulmer (59) and Dylan Cease (63) and catcher Zack Collins (68) on the MLB.com Top 100 list.
"We made the determination that bundling these three players together was the best way to maximize our return on any transaction," said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior vice president/general manager. "We felt this trade with the Yankees brought back the most quality as opposed to spreading our assets across multiple deals.
"Blake Rutherford is a player who has been high on our evaluation list since he was taken as a first-round choice by the Yankees as an amateur," Hahn said. "Clarkin gives us another highly-rated first-round selection (33rd overall) from the draft, Polo is a Class AA outfielder who has shown he can get on base, and Clippard provides us with a veteran bullpen option for the remainder of this season."
Rutherford, 20, is batting .281 (77-274) with 20 doubles, two home runs, 30 RBI and 41 runs scored in 71 games with Class A Charleston (S.C.) in 2017, including a .355 (16-55) average over his last 11 games. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Rutherford, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, is rated by MLB.com as the No. 3 prospect in the Yankees organization and No. 36 overall according to Baseball America's updated midseason rankings.
Rutherford is a career .302 (117-388) hitter with 28 doubles, five triples, five homers, 42 RBI, 57 runs scored and a .364 on-base percentage in 104 games over two minor-league seasons after being drafted by the Yankees in the first round (18th overall) of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Chaminade College Prep in Simi Valley, Calif.
He combined to hit .351/.415/.570 (40-114) over 33 games with the GCL Yankees and Advanced Rookie Pulaski during his professional debut in 2016. Following the season, he was rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Appalachian League.
Clarkin, 22, is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 19 prospect in the Yankees system. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Clarkin has gone 4-5 with a 2.62 ERA (22 ER/75.2 IP) and 58 strikeouts in 15 appearances (14 starts) this season with Class A Tampa. He has allowed two runs or less in 10 of his appearances.
A native of San Diego, Clarkin went 6-9 with a 3.31 ERA (36 ER/98.0 IP) over 18 starts with Tampa in 2016 after not pitching during the 2015 regular season due to elbow inflammation. Following the 2015 season, he appeared in six games with Surprise in the Arizona Fall League.
Clarkin has gone 14-18 with a 3.20 ERA (89 ER/250.1 IP), 208 strikeouts and two complete games in 52 games (50 starts) over five seasons in the Yankees organization after being selected with a supplemental pick in the first round (33rd overall) of the 2013 draft. He was ranked among the Yankees Top 10 Prospects by Baseball America in 2013 (No. 7) and 2014 (No. 6).
Polo, 22, is hitting .298 (85-285) with 13 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, 36 RBI, 20 walks, 25 stolen bases, 55 runs scored and a .358 on-base percentage over 72 games between Tampa and Class AA Trenton this season. Since being promoted to Trenton, the right-handed hitting Polo has gone 19-52 (.365) with 16 RBI in 13 games, including six multihit efforts and two four-hit games.
Polo, a 2016 South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star, was acquired by the Yankees from Pittsburgh on August 13, 2016 as a player to be named later from a trade that sent right-hander Ivan Nova to the Pirates. He is a career .276 hitter (426-1,542) with 68 doubles, 22 triples, 31 home runs, 195 RBI and a .353 on-base percentage in 429 games over six seasons in the Pittsburgh (2012-16) and Yankees (2016-17) systems. Polo originally was signed by the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent on March 12, 2012.
Clippard, 32, is 1-5 with a 4.95 ERA (20 ER/36.1 IP), one save, eight holds, 43 strikeouts and a .209 opponents average (28-134) over 40 relief appearances this season, his third with the Yankees. He has limited right-handers to a .202 average (17-84) and left-handers to a .220 mark (11-50).
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Clippard is 47-40 with a 3.06 ERA (225 ER/661.1 IP), 57 saves, 726 strikeouts, 191 holds and a .196 (464-2,372) opponents average in 598 career appearances (eight starts) between the Yankees (2007, '16-17), Washington (2008-14), the Mets (2015) and Arizona (2016). He is one of just nine pitchers in major-league history to make at least 69 appearances in seven different seasons (2010-16).
Clippard, a native of Lexington, Ky., leads all major-league relievers since 2010 in appearances (549), IP (563.2), wins (39) and holds (188) and ranks among the leaders in strikeouts (T4th, 633) and opponents average (9th, .192). He was a National League All-Star with the Nationals in 2011 and 2014 and has appeared in 14 career postseason games.
Frazier, 31, is hitting .207 (58-280) with 16 home runs, 44 RBI and 41 runs scored in 81 games this season, his second with the White Sox after being acquired from Cincinnati as part of a three-team, seven-player trade on December 15, 2015.
Kahnle, 27, has gone 1-3 with a 2.50 ERA (10 ER/36.0 IP) and 60 strikeouts over 37 games in 2017, his second season with the Sox after being acquired from Colorado on November 24, 2015 in return for right-hander Yency Almonte. He ranks fourth among American League relievers in strikeouts.
Robertson, 32, is 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA (10 ER/33.1 IP), 13 saves and 47 strikeouts in 31 games this season, his third with the White Sox after being signed as a free agent on December 10, 2014. He ranks sixth in White Sox history with 84 saves.
"We appreciate everything that Todd, Tommy and David have done for the White Sox during their time with our club, and we wish them and their families all the best with the Yankees," said Hahn.
Kahnle (2010 draft) and Robertson (2006 draft) both began their professional careers in the Yankees organization.