Yankees Make A Big Time Move, Acquire Tommy Kahnle, Todd Frazier, and David Robertson From The White Sox
Okay there’s a lot to dissect here obviously. First off, I had a bad, bad feeling someone very valuable was going to be heading to Chicago and my gut was right. Blake Rutherford, last year’s first round pick a five tool center fielder, will be heading to the White Sox as the center piece of the deal. It hurts man, it hurts. He grew up wanting to be a New York Yankee and I’ve always imagined a future outfield in the Bronx co-starring him, Harper, and Judge. Obviously that dream is gone, but it’s not the end of the world. Estevan Florial, a budding super star, still sits in Single A Charleston as one of the bigger pieces for the long term future in center field. I’d imagine moving forward he will be deemed untouchable. As much as it hurts to lose Rutherford, the outfield prospects in the next few years were going to create a logjam either way.
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Sabremetrics: You can only play three, no matter how many you have.
The rest of the deal is nothing. Ian Clarkin? Take him. Dude could never stay healthy, like ever. He had potential for sure, but you have to stay on the field to use it. Three long DL stints while in the minors and another injury in 2017. Not worth my time.
Tito Polo, a 22 year old outfielder, will be the fourth guy in the deal. A recent promotion to AA Trenton Thunder where he hit .298 for the season. He’s another guy who was never going to sniff the big leagues with the logjam that was going to pile up soon enough.
DRUM ROLL PLEASE……
SOMEONE TRADED FOR TYLER CLIPPARD. I’m rolling on the floor laughing. Someone acquired Tyler Clippard in a real life trade. No this is not MLB The Show and forced trades aren’t on with the computer. This is real life folks. This is legitimately the BEST DAY EVER!!! See ya later you four-eyed fuck.
RIP to my favorite tweet ever
What makes this trade that much better is that the Yanks just cucked the Red Sox badly. Every Sox fan was drooling that they solved their third base problem along with their shaky bullpen. The White Sox appeared to hold the pieces to make a perfect trade and help both sides, but nope….in swoops Brian Cashman to block the shit out of the Red Sox. We’re sooo SORREY!!
So Who’s Coming To The Bronx
This trade solves a lot of problems for the Yankees right now. Todd Frazier, the Jersey boy, presumably will go right to first base and give the Yanks the power bat they need. Yes, he’s hitting .207 which gives us nightmares of what Chris Carter brought to the table in the first half of the season. As shitty as that sounds, Frazier has produced the pop the Yanks were hoping to get with Carter. On the year he has 16 homers and 44 RBIs and over his last 38 games he has an .890 OPS. If he can get that average a little closer to his career number of .247 then this is going to be a fucking steal of a trade. He will make the offense a lot better because he knows how to play first base and swings with his eyes open.
The real backbone of this deal will be the relief pitching coming the Yankees way. David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle (I’m going to misspell this every fucking time) will help fortify this bullpen.
We know what we’re getting with D-Rob. He dances around trouble but overall he’s a very solid arm who we desperately need. Robertson is being paid $12 mill this year and another $13 mill next year. I’m waiting to see if Chicago is going to eat any of that contract and soften the blow. **Update** No money will be exchanged
And now to the big get of this whole trade, Tommy Kahnle. This man is my favorite part of this deal. The former 2010 Yankee draft pick, lost in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft, throws gas and can be virtually unhittable when he’s on. In 36 innings this year he’s struck out 60 batters (15 Ks/9) and has an ERA that sits at 2.50. The best part is he doesn’t put men on base having walked only seven guys all year. I’m sick and tired of this incompetent pitchers putting men on base without coming close to the zone. Kahnle solves that problem. If Robertson was the only one heading to New York in the deal then Kahnle might have slid into the closer’s roll in Chi-Town. Oh what’s even better is that Kahnle is under team control for three more years after this one. Looking into the future this allows the inevitable departure of Betances to not sting as much, whenever that will be. It will be very interesting, as Jack Curry noted after the game, what Dellin’s role materializes into. He seemed to think Robertson would slide into the 8th inning role while Dellin would be used as a lethal do it all man to get any kind of big out we need. At the end of the day, the pen has now become a strength. Losses that we’ve blown over the past two months will turn into wins. This trade fixes a TON of problems. It’s very, very exciting.
So now the Yankees bullpen consists of Chad Green, Adam Warren, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman. Remember what the Royals did a few years ago? Yup, that’s what’s happening. Let’s turn this goddamn season around.
P.S. CAN WE JUST PROMOTE CHANCE ADAMS ALREADY…..Why must we continue to sit through Luis Cessa starts? It’s not healthy. Thank God Joe pulled him early tonight and the pen did their job once again. Luis Cessa cannot be starting baseball games in the majors anymore. He just can’t.
P.P.S. Anyone who thought this was still a rebuilding season can sit down. We just traded away a prized prospect, it’s go time. Tonight marked the end of the slump.