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White Sox trade Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle to Yankees

The Yankees have denied the Red Sox from acquiring Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox.

The Chicago White Sox have traded third baseman Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees in exchange for prospects Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin, Tito Polo and reliever Tyler Clippard, according to multiple reports.

Frazier was pulled from the White Sox lineup ahead of Tuesday night's game against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The possibility of a deal was first reported by WSCR-AM Radio.

Frazier, 31, has about $5 million remaining on his contract, which expires after the season. He is hitting .207 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs. Last season, he hit .225 with 40 home runs and 98 RBIs. Frazier will likely spend some time at first base as the Yankees look to fill the void left by injuries to Tyler Austin and Greg Bird.

Robertson spent the first seven years of his career and signed a four-year, $46 million deal with the White Sox in 2014 so he is under team control through 2018. His deal is worth $13 million for next season. Robertson has 13 saves in 14 opportunities on the year with a 2.70 ERA and 47 strikeouts.

Robertson will likely move into a seventh or eighth inning role to assist Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman at the end of games. The Yankees may also be seeking starting pitching help but the move helps shorten how long the team will have to rely on its starters.

Kahnle has a 2.50 ERA on the season in his 36.0 innings of work with 60 strikeouts and a 1–3 record. He also has history with the Yankees as 2020 draft pick who was lost to the Rockies as a Rule 5 pick in 2013.

Rutherford is hitting .281 with 77 hits, two home runs and 30 RBIs with the Charleston RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League (Single-A.) Left-handed pitching prospect Ian Clarkin is 4–5 with a 2.62 ERA in 72 1/3 innings for the Tampa Bay Yankees. Polo is an outfielder and was a member of Colombia's national team in the World Baseball Classic

Clippard is the lone Major Leaguer included on the Yankees' end of the deal. He has a 4.95 ERA on the year with 42 strikeouts and 20 earned runs in 36.1 innings of work.

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The Boston Red Sox were among the top candidates to try and land Frazier. Boston designated Pablo Sandoval for assignment and released Jhonny Peralta from Triple-A Pawtucket. The Red Sox have also reportedly considered Yangervis Solarte of the San Diego Padres and Martin Prado of the Miami Marlins as third base options.

What may have helped the Yankees come to a deal quicker than the Red Sox was the fact that New York also previously expressed interest in ex-White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana before he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs. The White Sox now have eight of the top 100 prospects, according to Baseball America.

The last major trade between the White Sox and Yankees was on November 12, 2008 when New York acquired Nick Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira from Chicago for Wilson Betemit, Jeff Marquez and Johnny Nunez. The Yankees drafted current star Aaron Judge with the compensation pick that the team received when Nick Swisher left as a free agent, according to Cliff Corcoran of MLB Network.

Earlier in the day, the Detroit Tigers traded outfielder J.D. Martinez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three prospects. The Yankees had checked in with the Mets on any possible deal for Addison Reed or Lucas Duda but would not give up prospects.