WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JULY 19, 2017 “Tuesday's best: O'Neill shows off power for Tacoma” … William Boor, MLB.com “After 'disbelief,' Cease settles in with new team” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Moncada set for White Sox debut vs. Dodgers”… Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com “5 questions after Yanks-White Sox blockbuster” … Mark Feinsand, MLB.com “Gonzalez's strong return outing goes to waste” … Ken Gurnick and Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com “White Sox stacked for future; Moncada up” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox net 4 in big Frazier deal with Yanks” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox Prospect Turnaround Could Give Them Baseball's No. 1 Farm System” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox Pull Off Another King-Sized Trade, Shipping Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to Yankees” … Vinnie Duber, CSN Chicago “Yoan Moncada Called Up to the Bigs to Make His White Sox Debut” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Happy to Be Heading to Yankees, Todd Frazier and Relief Pitchers Find it Hard to Say Goodbye to White Sox” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Past 'disbelief' of Cubs trade, Dylan Cease ready to grow with White Sox” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Tuesday's recap: Dodgers 1, White Sox 0” … Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune “White Sox send three players ‘home’ in deal with Yankees” … Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune “White Sox net another top 50 prospect in big trade with Yankees” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox to call up top prospect Yoan Moncada: 'We’re not bringing him here to sit'” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SuperHahn!” … Steve Rosenbloom, Chicago Tribune “White Sox to hold annual game celebrating Negro Leagues” … Elan Kane, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox Charities to honor Tim Raines with bobblehead fundraiser” … Madeline Kenney, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox trade Robertson, Frazier, Kahnle to Yankees, call up Moncada” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “Dodgers, Kershaw extend White Sox’ losing streak to five” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “Yankees get Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle from White Sox” … Associated Press “Cease hoping to do 'something great' with Chicago White Sox” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Sox trade Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle to Yankees; Moncada coming up” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Q&A: Pitching prospect Dylan Cease ready to get going with White Sox” … James Fegan, The Athletic “By the numbers: Clayton Kershaw not distracted by White Sox trade rumors” … James Fegan, The Athletic “White Sox to call up top prospect Yoan Moncada” … James Fegan, The Athletic “White Sox trade Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle to Yankees for prospects” … James Fegan, The Athletic “White Sox rebuild takes shape after seven-player trade Tuesday” … James Fegan, The Athletic “White Sox Trade Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle To Yankees” … CBS Chicago Staff “Clayton Kershaw’s Brilliance Leads Dodgers To 1-0 Win Over White Sox” … Associated Press “White Sox Promote Yoan Moncada To Big Leagues” … CBS Chicago Staff “Levine: White Sox Amass More Blue-Chip Talent In Trade With Yankees” … Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago “Yoan Moncada’s Debut With White Sox The Next Stage In Development” … Chris Emma, CBS Chicago “Todd Frazier traded to Yankees as White Sox get top prospects” … Ron Clements, Sporting News “Yankees cash in for postseason run as White Sox accrue more top prospects in trade” … Jon Tayler, Sports Illustrated “Yankees get Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle from White Sox” … Associated Press

Tuesday's best: O'Neill shows off power for Tacoma By William Boor / MLB.com | July 19, 2017 Tyler O'Neill has plenty of power and he showed it off with home runs in each game of Triple-A Tacoma's doubleheader split against Albuquerque. O'Neill, the No. 29 overall prospect (Mariners No. 2) is heating up lately, having homered in three straight games and boasting a .327 average through 14 games this month. The 22-year-old hit a two-run homer and finished 1-for-3 in the Rainiers' 5-3 loss in the first game of the twin bill. Then in the nightcap, O'Neill hit his 17th homer of the season, a solo shot, as part of a 3-for-5 effort.

While O'Neill's homers stole the show, he wasn't the only Mariners prospect to have a good day offensively. Daniel Vogelbach, the organization's No. 8 prospect, also put together a pair of good games, combining to go 4-for-7 with a double and an RBI. Other top prospect performances from Tuesday's action: • White Sox No. 13 prospect Alec Hansen flirted with a no-hitter in what was his best start for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem. Hansen, who has made five starts with the Dash after being promoted from Kannapolis, threw 5 2/3 no-hit innings in the seven-inning contest. Hansen was lifted after the single, having given up one hit, two walks and recording eight strikeouts. "I'm feeling pretty good about my outing, I would have liked to get out of the sixth inning, but other than that, I'm a happy person," Hansen told MiLB.com. "It wasn't like I was in cruise control the whole time, I was fighting myself with command a few times -- I had two walks. For the most part, I felt pretty in control of my fastball, they weren't getting too many good swings on it. I was throwing a pretty good changeup as well."

After 'disbelief,' Cease settles in with new team White Sox No. 9 prospect came to club in Quintana trade

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 19, 2017 CHICAGO -- The word "disbelief" came to mind for Dylan Cease when he was part of a four-prospect package going to the White Sox in a trade sending Jose Quintana to the Cubs last Thursday. "But not necessarily in a negative way," Cease said during a Tuesday conference call. "Just kind of a shell-shocked way." Cease, the No. 63 prospect in the Majors per MLBPipeline.com, ranks No. 9 among the plethora of White Sox prospects during the team's ongoing rebuild. He joins Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Carson Fulmer, Reynaldo Lopez and current Major Leaguer Carlos Rodon as names targeted as part of the future of the rotation. It was a hectic few days for Cease after the trade. But that comfort level came back when the 21-year-old returned to the mound Monday, allowing two earned runs, with four strikeouts and one walk, over five innings during his debut with Class A Kannapolis. Cease hasn't been completely satisfied with his execution this season, but it has been a strong learning experience for the right-hander. "Definitely fastball command is always No. 1. I felt good with it this year," said Cease, who has a 2.86 ERA over 14 starts, with 78 strikeouts over 56 2/3 innings. "I'll go through stretches where I kind of lose it a little bit. "Changeup, offspeed, is something I'm just working on getting a feel for. I felt pretty good with my curveball this year. Trying to keep on a fastball plane, and not letting it get too loopy. Just little things like that." Outfielder Eloy Jimenez, the Majors' No. 8 prospect and the club's No. 2, also came to the White Sox as part of the trade. Cease calls him "one of the most talented players I've ever seen." As for moving from the Cubs to the White Sox, Cease said it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. "All that matters is what I'm doing to keep learning, and keep getting better, and hopefully make it and be part of something special," Cease said. "Obviously what the Cubs are doing is great, but I obviously didn't have anything to do with that. "It's exciting to be in a system like this. It's one where there are so many talented guys, and the potential to do something great is there."

Moncada set for White Sox debut vs. Dodgers By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com | July 19, 2017 The Yoan Moncada Era is set to begin in Chicago.

Moncada, the No. 1 prospect in the Majors per MLBPipeline.com, will make his White Sox debut Wednesday vs. the Dodgers, after the news of his promotion from Triple-A Charlotte followed Tuesday night's blockbuster deal that sent Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound, switch-hitting second baseman was one of the key pieces in last offseason's deal that sent ace Chris Sale to Boston. Moncada hit .282 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs in 80 games with Charlotte this season, and was a SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game participant for the second time last week in Miami. He is expected to play every day at second as he continues his development, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "We're starting to get a little younger in that clubhouse," Hahn said. "A few guys are starting to get opportunities over the next few weeks and months. It will be interesting to see." White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-2, 4.32 ERA) will start for the first time in 10 days on Wednesday, opposing Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda (7-4, 4.38) in the finale of the brief, two-game Interleague set at Guaranteed Rate Field. Los Angeles has won 10 in a row, and 30 of its last 34. Rodon, who started just one game in Spring Training before his injury, has made three starts, including his season debut on June 28 against the Yankees. He allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start on July 9 in against the Rockies, after pitching well despite command issues in his first two starts. Rodon said the break was poorly timed for him, interrupting any rhythm he may have gotten coming off the injury. "Yeah, it's tough," Rodon said after his last start. "Just keep it going, try to get throwing during the break, get on the mound. These guys deserve the break, they've been going at it a long time. Me, not so much." Maeda posted a 1.71 ERA in five appearances (three starts) in June. However, the right-hander has gone deeper than five innings just three times this season, and has only thrown more than 100 pitches twice. He pitched well in his last start against the Royals on July 7, allowing a run on four hits over five innings. Rodon is making his first career start against the Dodgers, and his second straight against an Interleague opponent. He is 3-3 with a 5.50 ERA in seven career Interleague starts. Maeda is 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA in five career Interleague starts. Three things to know about this game • Dodgers rookie first baseman Cody Bellinger has something in common with White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu -- they both mashed to start their Major League careers. They are the two players with the most homers through the first 73 games of a career in the last 100 seasons. Abreu had 27, and Bellinger entered Tuesday -- his 74th game -- with 26. • Pitchers tend to lean more on fastballs when they fall behind in the count, but not Maeda. His offspeed rate of 52.3 percent in those situations is eighth highest among starters who have thrown at least 300 pitches while behind the hitter this season. • White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts know each other well, as they worked together on Bud Black's staff with the Padres from 2011-13. Both previously served as bench coach in San Diego, before moving to their current organizations -- Roberts moved to Los Angeles before the 2016 season and Renteria became the White Sox bench coach in 2016 before being promoted to manager before this year.

5 questions after Yanks-White Sox blockbuster By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com | July 19, 2017 The Yankees and White Sox stunned the baseball world with their seven-player blockbuster Tuesday night, capping a day that felt more like July 31 than July 18. Hours after the D-backs cut a deal with Detroit for right fielder J.D. Martinez, the Yankees sent three prospects and right-hander Tyler Clippard to the White Sox for third baseman Todd Frazier and right-handed relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. The move bolsters a shaky Yankees bullpen, while adding a power bat to the corner infield. Which corner? That's only one of the unanswered questions that need to be addressed following the trade. Let's take them one-by-one. 1. How will the Yankees use Frazier?

The 31-year-old has played 742 of his 853 career games at third base, but Frazier has some experience at first base, too. He started 36 games for the Reds there in 2012, then started 37 more in '14. The Yankees have had dismal production from the first base spot all season, their .686 OPS at the position ranking 29th out of 30 teams. So Frazier could very well become the Yankees' new first baseman, though there's another intriguing idea. Make Frazier the everyday third baseman and move Chase Headley to first, where he can platoon with rookie Garrett Cooper. Frazier hits both lefties and righties well, but Headley's splits have been extreme -- he entered Tuesday with a .790 OPS against right-handers and a paltry .534 OPS against left-handers. Cooper has hit lefties well in the Minors and could split time with Headley at first base. 2. Are the Yankees done dealing? The unspoken losers of this trade could very well be the Athletics and Mets, who no longer have their biggest suitor for Yonder Alonso and Lucas Duda, respectively. The Yankees seemingly have addressed their first-base void and filled their bullpen holes, but that doesn't mean they're finished dealing. The rotation still has problems, and they only got worse when Michael Pineda was diagnosed with a torn UCL last week. After making a run at Jose Quintana and dealing No. 3 prospect Blake Rutherford in the White Sox deal, it seems unlikely that GM Brian Cashman would part with the prospects it will take to land Oakland's Sonny Gray -- unless he was willing to create a package around infield prospect Jorge Mateo, who slides up into Rutherford's No. 3 spot on MLB Pipeline's Yankees Top 30 Prospects list. Other starters the Yankees could kick the tires on include Trevor Cahill and Clayton Richard of the Padres, Jaime Garcia of the Braves and Dan Straily of the Marlins. 3. Are the White Sox done cleaning house? Since last December, the White Sox have traded Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, Quintana, Frazier, Robertson and Kahnle, adding seven of MLB Pipeline's top 63 prospects to their system, giving them a total of 10 in the Top 100. So what's left in the cupboard? Melky Cabrera, who is in the final year of his contract, could be attractive to a team looking for an outfielder. Derek Holland could also fetch a prospect, while Clippard can likely be had for practically nothing if a team wants to roll the dice on him. Mike Pelfrey, Anthony Swarzak and Miguel Gonzalez are also slated to become free agents after the season, leaving all as potential trade chips. That's a total of a half-dozen players that could still be dealt, though none will bring back the type of prospects GM Rick Hahn scored for his top names. 4. How will the Yankees' bullpen shake out? Robertson has been one of the game's top closers since he succeeded Mariano Rivera in New York in 2014, saving 110 games over three seasons with the Yankees and White Sox. He's converted 13 of 14 save chances this season, his 14 save opportunities ranking 26th in the Majors -- fewer than any other full-time closer this season that hasn't spent time on the disabled list. But the Yankees didn't pay Aroldis Chapman $86 million to be a setup man, so the flame-throwing left-hander will remain in the closer's role. But four-time All-Star Dellin Betances figures to be replaced by Robertson in the eighth inning, where the latter first made a name for himself setting up for Rivera. As for Betances, Robertson's arrival should allow Joe Girardi to utilize him in the "fire extinguisher" role that Andrew Miller has filled for the Indians, giving Girardi a dangerous weapon to use at any time. The addition of Kahnle, who is having a breakout season with 60 strikeouts and only seven walks in 36 innings, gives the Yankees another solid option out of the pen. According to an American League executive, it was Kahnle, not Frazier or Robertson, who was drawing the biggest asking price from the White Sox during trade talks. 5. What do the Red Sox do at third base now? You didn't think we were going to forget about the impact this deal has on Yankees' biggest rivals in all of this, did you? When word first spread Tuesday evening that the White Sox had held a healthy Frazier out of the lineup, speculation immediately turned to Boston, where the Red Sox have had a Panda-sized hole at third base all season.

Social media began blowing up with Frazier-to-Boston rumors, though that quickly turned about 200 miles south when it was reported that the Yankees were about to deal for Frazier, Robertson and Kahnle. Not only did it fill some holes for the Yankees, but the deal kept both Frazier and Robertson out of Boston, leaving the Red Sox looking for answers. Kansas City doesn't appear inclined to trade Mike Moustakas, while Miami's Martin Prado landed on the DL with a right knee injury on Monday, taking another potential trade target away from the Red Sox. Oakland's Jed Lowrie has been a second baseman this season, but the former Red Sox first-rounder has played 30 or more games at third base three times in his 10 big league seasons. San Francisco's Eduardo Nunez is also likely available.

Gonzalez's strong return outing goes to waste By Ken Gurnick and Fabian Ardaya / CSN Chicago | July 19, 2017 CHICAGO -- The Dodgers juggernaut jumped leagues Tuesday night and kept on winning, as Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 Interleague shutout of the White Sox for Los Angeles' second 10-game win streak of the season. Padding the best record in MLB, the Dodgers (65-29) are on a 30-4 tear -- a franchise best since 1899 -- which had not been accomplished since the 1977 Royals had a 35-4 run. The last National League team to have such a run was the 1936 Giants. Los Angeles is off to its best start through 94 games since 1955. "When you think about the last time we lost to a National League team, and all the things coming my way," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "it's unbelievable. And the bottom line is, we're finding ways to win baseball games." Kershaw notched his MLB-high 15th win, completing his 14th consecutive start without a loss (going 11-0), dating back to May 6. The Dodgers have won all 14 of those starts, the most consecutive team wins when a pitcher starts in franchise history. "It does feel like every night we find another way to win," Kershaw said. "I think my run support has got to be one of the best in the league, and tonight, that didn't happen and we still found a way to win." Cody Bellinger drove in the game's sole run with an RBI single in the first off White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez, who made his first start since coming off the disabled list for A/C joint inflammation in his right shoulder. Bellinger has a team-high 62 RBIs in 74 games. Kenley Jansen improved to 24-for-24 on save opportunities, surviving a long warning-track flyout by Matt Davidson in the ninth. "I know I didn't make the best pitch there, but we're human, you're not going to make 100 percent every day," Jansen said. "When he hit it, it's a feeling like, 'What's going to happen?' You can't panic. Then, I saw [left fielder Chris Taylor] catch it and, all right, one out." Taylor, who scored the only run, stole his team-high 12th base and tied a career high with four hits. "One of those days where everything found a hole," Taylor said. "I don't think I hit the barrel one time." Gonzalez allowed four of the first five Dodger batters to reach, but grinded through six innings of one-run ball. Despite issuing a season-high five walks, he allowed his lowest run total since allowing an unearned run over eight innings against the Royals on April 24. He's lost nine of his last 10 decisions dating back to April 30. "I was pretty amped up," Gonzalez said. "I gave up four or five walks tonight. That's not really me. But we were capable of getting, what was it, four double plays? That's huge, man. We kept the game close. Unfortunately, we got the loss." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Double trouble: After a one-out single by Yolmer Sanchez off Kershaw in the bottom of the fourth, shortstop Corey Seager made a diving stop of Kevan Smith's sharp grounder and, with his face in the dirt, flipped the ball to second baseman Logan Forsythe, who made the pivot and wide throw that required a long stretch from Bellinger for an inning-ending double play.

Got popped: The White Sox nearly broke through against Kershaw in the sixth, getting runners on the corners with one out on Avisail Garcia's single, Seager's throwing error and a single from Davidson. Tyler Saladino followed by squaring around to bunt, popping the ball up to catcher Yasmani Grandal. Sanchez then grounded out, as Kershaw preserved the shutout. QUOTABLE "Today was a tough one, we left a lot of guys on base. At the same time, for me as a closer, that's when I really, really need to pick up my guys." -- Jansen, on Dodgers going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Tuesday marked the 52nd time in Kershaw's career that the ace had gone at least seven scoreless innings. For historical comparisons, Pedro Martinez did it 57 times and Tom Glavine had 54 such outings. UPON FURTHER REVIEW The Dodgers challenged a safe call at first base on Kershaw's pickoff attempt of Tim Anderson with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The call was overturned, and Anderson was out, giving Kershaw his 58th career pickoff and first since 2015. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Kenta Maeda makes his first start in 11 days Wednesday night in the 5:10 p.m. PT series finale. In his last 12 games (10 starts), Maeda is 6-2 with a 3.20 ERA. This will be his first career start against the White Sox. He's 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two Interleague starts this season. White Sox: Carlos Rodon starts for the first time in 10 days on Wednesday, just his fourth start of the season after dealing with left biceps bursitis since Spring Training. The 7:10 p.m. CT game will give Rodon a chance to rebound after allowing six runs in 5 1/3 innings at Coors Field on July 9. Yoan Moncada, the Majors' No. 1 prospect per MLBPipeline.com, will be recalled from Triple-A Charlotte prior to the game and is expected to make his White Sox debut. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

White Sox stacked for future; Moncada up By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 19, 2017 CHICAGO -- White Sox general manager Rick Hahn could be excused for burying the news of Yoan Moncada's near arrival during his press conference following his team's 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Hahn first addressed the trade sending third baseman Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson and right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees for prospects Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin and Tito Polo, along with right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard. It was then when Hahn spoke of the news caused by the roster opening. Moncada, the No. 1 prospect in the Majors per MLBPipeline.com, will make his White Sox debut Wednesday against the Dodgers, after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Moncada takes over as the team's starting second baseman. "We aren't bringing him here to sit," Hahn said of Moncada. "We are bringing him here to continue the development that needs to take place in Chicago. "He still has some work to do. He's obviously still very young. But we feel that he's ready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level." Moncada, 22, batted .282 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, 57 runs scored, 49 walks, 17 stolen bases and a .377 on-base percentage over 80 games with Charlotte. The switch-hitter has also impressed with his defensive improvement at second. In eight games as a September callup for the Red Sox last year, Moncada went 4-for-19 with an RBI and three runs scored. Even with Moncada's marked improvement this season, Hahn knows there will still be struggles. "There's going to be growing pains here. He's not a finished product," Hahn said. "I don't suspect any of these players as they make their debut here in the coming months, and years, no matter how highly anticipated they may be, there's still

going to be an element of development that's going to happen in Chicago. The thought is it's time for Yoan to get that opportunity to take that next step." The moves continue the ongoing rebuild engineered by Hahn, who now has seven prospects among MLBPipeline.com's Top 50, and 10 in the Top 68, as part of the White Sox organization. Just last week, the White Sox acquired outfielder Eloy Jimenez (Pipeline's No. 8 overall prospect) and right-hander Dylan Cease (No. 63) from the Cubs in the Jose Quintana deal. In addition to acquiring Moncada and right-hander Michael Kopech (No. 11) from Boston in the Chris Sale trade, Chicago also acquired right-handers Lucas Giolito (No. 28) and Reynaldo Lopez (No. 36) from Washington as part of the Adam Eaton swap. The activity wasn't limited to trades, either, as the White Sox also signed 19-year-old Cuban outfielder Luis Robert. He's ranked as the No. 23 prospect in baseball and received a $26 million signing bonus in May, which represents the second-largest bonus ever given to an international amateur, behind only Moncada, who got $31 million from Boston two years ago. MLBPipeline.com ranks Rutherford as Chicago's new No. 6 prospect, while Clarkin ranks 18th. Reliever Brad Goldberg also will join the White Sox from Charlotte. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.58 ERA. He allowed four runs in one-third of an inning during his big league debut in Detroit on June 3.

White Sox net 4 in big Frazier deal with Yanks New York also receives closer Robertson, reliever Kahnle By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 19, 2017 CHICAGO -- The White Sox traded third baseman Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson and right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees on Tuesday night in exchange for a four-player package headlined by outfielder Blake Rutherford, the Majors' No. 30 prospect per MLBPipeline.com. It was a little different than the other moves executed by general manager Rick Hahn during the organization's current rebuild. But it had the same basic goal in mind: Add as much impact talent as possible in building toward sustained success. "Over the last few weeks, we spent a considerable amount of time surveying the market for each of these players individually and decided that the more prudent path to acquiring more talent similar to what we have over the last several months, the best path to acquiring the highest-impact talent, would be to bundle these players together," Hahn said during a press conference following his team's 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. "I know it's perhaps a little surprising, especially given what we have done over the last several months in terms of these individual trades, to see three players the caliber of Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson all in the same deal. But in order to get the caliber of return that helps continue the process that we've started over the last several months, we felt this was the prudent path to get the most impactful talent in the organization." Rutherford batted .281 with 20 doubles and 41 runs scored for Class A Charleston this season. He gives the White Sox seven prospects among MLBPipeline.com's Top 50, and 10 in the Top 68, with Yoan Moncada, the No. 1 prospect overall, making his White Sox debut on Wednesday and becoming the team's starting second baseman. Left-handed starter Ian Clarkin and outfielder Tito Polo join Rutherford in the prospect haul from the Yankees. Veteran reliever Tyler Clippard and the remainder of his $4.25 million for '17 will join the White Sox bullpen. No other cash was included in the deal, another important aspect for the White Sox, with Robertson owed close to $18 million over this season and '18 and Frazier close to $5 million for '17. "We did have conversations with some clubs about including cash, in theory, to improve the prospect return," Hahn said. "In the end, regardless of whether there was cash involved in another deal or which combination of players, this was the setup involving all three of these players that allowed us the most impactful return, so it was the right one." Frazier, a New Jersey native and resident, is set to become a free agent after the season, and has been the focus of trade rumors since this past weekend, while Robertson returns to where he pitched the first seven years of his career. But Hahn admitted Tuesday's trade doesn't happen without Kahnle, who is having a breakout season. "It means a lot to me," said Kahnle, who was a fifth-round selection of the Yankees in the 2010 Draft. "But I'm going to stay humble like always. I don't look into that stuff that much." "Maybe I can stay at home a little more, or maybe I can stay up in the city," Frazier said. "It's nice to have a couple of my buddies coming here with me."

This move comes five days after the White Sox sent Jose Quintana across town to the Cubs in exchange for four prospects, headlined by outfielder Eloy Jimenez (No. 8 prospect overall per MLBPipeline.com) and right-hander Dylan Cease (No. 63 overall). And they aren't done yet leading into the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Outfielder Melky Cabrera, starting pitchers Derek Holland and Miguel Gonzalez, infielder Tyler Saladino and relievers Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings and perhaps even Clippard will be available. Even first baseman Jose Abreu and All-Star outfielder Avisail Garcia, who each have two years of club control, could be dealt for an overwhelming return. "You know, it's been an exciting time around here. It's an interesting feeling," Hahn said. "Tonight was a pretty perfect example. You had a beautiful night, a good crowd here at the park and a 1-0 ballgame against Clayton Kershaw. But at the same time, I'm guessing a large portion of White Sox Nation was refreshing Twitter to find out what the latest trade rumor was and feel some hope about the future. "We have a lot of work to do, both in player development and to continue to acquire similar such players to keep this process moving. In terms of what we've been able to do since December, last Draft or wherever you want to draw that line, we're pleased. But at the same time, we know we have more work to do." Fantasy spin | Fred Zinkie (@FredZinkieMLB) While he is unlikely to provide a helpful batting mark, Frazier could be a terrific source of home runs and RBIs now that he has hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium as a home park and belongs to a lineup that ranks third in the Majors with 490 runs scored. The 31-year-old is hardly the only winner from this deal, as Moncada will be called up to the White Sox on Wednesday. With solid power and elite speed, Moncada has the skills to make an impact in shallow leagues immediately. Sticking in Chicago, the South Siders may struggle to produce a mixed-league-worthy closer after dealing both Robertson and Kahnle. Newly acquired righty Clippard has the most ninth-inning experience on the White Sox, but he's posted a 13.06 ERA since June 13. As for the two relievers headed to New York, both Robertson and Kahnle are expected to settle into middle-relief roles on a Yankees squad that employs Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances.

White Sox Prospect Turnaround Could Give Them Baseball's No. 1 Farm System By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | July 18, 2017 The White Sox farm system has undergone such a dramatic overhaul that Baseball America’s newest organization top-10 list features only one holdover from November. The team’s additions in the past eight months through massive trades and the signing of Luis Robert have been so overwhelming that the publication is on the cusp of naming the White Sox farm system as the best in baseball. Baseball America editor J.J. Cooper said on Tuesday that he believes the White Sox will hold that title after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. “It is crazy how much better it is than it was a couple of years ago,” Cooper said. “It would not surprise me when we get past the trade deadline if the White Sox end up having the best farm system in the game right now.” As it stands, the publication thinks the Atlanta Braves still possess the best farm system in baseball. That organization currently features nine top-100 prospects, while the White Sox have seven on Baseball America’s list. The Braves also have significant depth in their favor, too. But the White Sox have made up massive ground since the start of the winter meetings, adding 11 prospects in the trades for Chris Sale, Adam Eaton and Jose Quintana. Of the farmhands holding the top 10 spots on BA’s current White Sox list, Yoan Moncada (No. 1), Eloy Jimenez (No. 2), Michael Kopech (No. 3), Reynaldo Lopez (fifth), Lucas Giolito (sixth), Dylan Cease (seventh) and Dane Dunning (ninth) all were acquired in trades. First-round pick Jake Burger holds the No. 8 spot, while pitcher Alec Hansen, who's ranked 10th, is the only holdover from November. Robert, who is ranked fourth, was signed in May for $26 million. That influx of talent has displaced November’s No. 1, Zack Collins, and a slew of others, including 2015 first-rounder Carson Fulmer, who was once third. “In a normal year, Collins would be a top 10 for the White Sox,” Cooper said. “But, this isn’t normal. Gavin Sheets would be an easy top 10 if this was normal. Carson Fulmer — the star has dimmed on Carson Fulmer some. But at the same time, if we’re talking about the White Sox system of five years ago, we’d be talking about Carson Fulmer as the No. 3 or No. 4 prospect. It has not turned out how either he or the White Sox would have liked, but you still at least have hope he’s going to put something together out of all this. But now that makes him a guy who’s not a top-10 prospect for them and that’s a pretty dramatic difference where the White Sox have been for really much of this century before this.”

Jimenez is the latest top-25 player to join the organization as Baseball America has him rated as the No. 5 overall prospect. The publication also has Cease, who was acquired with Jimenez last Thursday in a trade for Quintana, rated No. 63 overall. Cease made his organizational debut on Monday night, allowing two earned runs and four hits with a walk and four strikeouts in five innings at Single-A Kannapolis. “They've got a ton of talent, so it's really exciting,” Cease said of the White Sox. “Eloy is one of the most talented players I've ever seen, especially the fact he's only, I think, 20. I expect he's going to do really big things. For me, I think I just want to go out there and keep learning, keep getting better. I don't know exactly when any of that would be. But I know if I keep trusting everything and getting better, hopefully it's sooner rather than later. Like I said, I'm just looking forward to keep playing and competing.” Cooper is looking forward to what else Rick Hahn and the White Sox can pull off over the next 13 days. Todd Frazier looks like a good fit for the Boston Red Sox, and David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle have a lot of value if they’re traded. Cooper thought Robertson might bring back the minor league equivalent of what the Pittsburgh Pirates received for Mark Melancon. Pitcher Felipe Rivero, one of two players acquired from Washington, has a 0.72 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings for the Pirates this season. The White Sox also can offer value in outfielder Melky Cabrera and reliever Anthony Swarzak. “I can see the White Sox getting even better than it is right now,” Cooper said.

White Sox Pull Off Another King-Sized Trade, Shipping Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to Yankees By Vinnie Duber / CSN Chicago | July 18, 2017 Rick Hahn keeps rolling. The White Sox made another huge move Tuesday night, shipping third baseman Todd Frazier and relief pitchers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees in exchange for a four-player package highlighted by outfielder Blake Rutherford, who's ranked as the No. 30 prospect in baseball. In addition to Rutherford, the White Sox landed big league relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, minor league pitcher Ian Clarkin (No. 19 prospect in Yankees' system) and minor league outfielder Tito Polo. “We made the determination that bundling these three players together was the best way to maximize our return on any transaction,” Hahn said in the announcement. “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. 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.” The multi-player swap follows last week's blockbuster trade of starting pitcher Jose Quintana to the Cubs, a deal that brought back that organization's top two prospects. Rutherford was ranked as the third-best prospect in the Yankees' organization. Frazier, Robertson and Kahnle were all expected to be trade candidates this July as the last-place White Sox were believed to further bolster their farm system as their rebuild rolls on. The move, while not as rewarding as previous trades for Chris Sale, Adam Eaton and Quintana, echoes those deals and adds yet another highly ranked prospect to what is now a jaw-dropping list. With the addition of Rutherford, the White Sox now own six of the top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline's list and 10 of the top 68. While Hahn has pulled off two massive midseason trades in six days, he still might not be finished. Relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak and outfielder Melky Cabrera could still be used as trade chips to further bolster the system.

Yoan Moncada Called Up to the Bigs to Make His White Sox Debut By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | July 18, 2017 The most oft-asked question by White Sox fans finally has an answer: Yoan Moncada will make his team debut on Wednesday.

Baseball's top prospect will join the White Sox on Wednesday after the trade of Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees created roster spots on the 25-man roster. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn confirmed the promotion during the press conference for the trade after the White Sox lost 1-0 to the Dodgers on Tuesday. "We are bringing him here to continue the development that needs to take place in Chicago," Hahn said. "He still has some work to do. He’s obviously still very young. But we feel that he’s eready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level." The main player acquired for Chris Sale, Moncada was hitting .282/.377/.447 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 361 plate appearances at Triple-A Charlotte. "There’s going to be growing pains here," Hahn said. "He’s not a finished product. I don’t suspect any of these players as they make their debut here in the coming months and years, no matter how highly anticipated they may be, there’s still going to be an element of development that’s going to happen in Chicago. The thought is it’s time for Yoan to get that opportunity to take that next step." Moncada's arrival has been a hot topic since he was acquired last December along with Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Basabe and pitcher Victor Diaz. The second baseman starred in spring training and rolled it over into the regular season. He was named the team's minor league player of the month in April and later earned a spot in the Triple-A All-Star Game. But Moncada forfeited his All-Star spot to appear in the All-Star Futures Game last Sunday. It's the second straight year in which Moncada was in the Futures Game. "This is a process," Moncada said through an interpreter when asked about being promoted. "I'm just getting ready for when the team decides to make that call. I will be ready for that call. I feel ready." The White Sox delayed that call until now. Not only had they received good play at the major league level from Yolmer Sanchez, the White Sox also wanted to give Moncada more time to develop. One focus has been on Moncada's strikeout-rate, which still stands at 28 percent as he's whiffed 100 times this season. Moncada also hasn't been as strong at the plate since he returned from a thumb injury in late May. But, he feels like he's been able to shake off some of that rust. "It's not something where I'm feeling pain in my thumb or something, but you have to regain your rhythm and your confidence," Moncada said.

Happy to Be Heading to Yankees, Todd Frazier and Relief Pitchers Find it Hard to Say Goodbye to White Sox By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | July 19, 2017 Ecstatic to be headed to the New York Yankees, Todd Frazier had an idea something was in the works the minute he learned he was scratched from Tuesday’s game. Frazier stayed in the White Sox dugout for almost the entire 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers save for several trips to the clubhouse. The third baseman said he learned more and more with each trip back. Frazier had heard all of the rumors about where else he might be headed but it wasn’t until shortly after Tuesday’s game concluded that he, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle learned they would be headed to the New York Yankees in a deal that netted the White Sox four players, including highly touted prospect Blake Rutherford and veteran reliever Tyler Clippard. “It’s kind of surreal here right now because it all happened at once and you hear the rumors, it could have been a different team, here and there,” Frazier said. “But it’s the Yankees so I’m pretty excited.” Kahnle had a similar reaction to Frazier. Perhaps the most critical player the White Sox gave up in the deal, Kahnle has had a strange, albeit successful season. He originally didn’t make the team’s Opening Day roster only to be promoted after an early bullpen injury. Once he arrived, Kahnle took off and dominated. The right-hander posted a 2.50 ERA and struck out 60 batters while walking only seven in 36 innings. Kahnle isn’t just dominant, he’s under team control for another two and a half seasons. That status made Kahnle very appealing to many clubs, not just the Yankees, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 amateur draft only to lose him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2014. “This season’s been pretty wild,” Kahnle said. “Last year, too, was pretty crazy at the beginning. This year, definitely — I’m kind of lost for words. I felt like I’ve figured it out. I’m gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Robertson has sensed it for two years now that the White Sox might deal him away. He only hoped that a trade would come after his wife, Erin, gave birth to the couple’s second child. The baby was born July 3. Still, Robertson seemed a little surprised by the news he’s headed back to the Yankees where he spent the first seven seasons of his career. The former White Sox closer didn’t officially learn about the deal until after the conclusion of Tuesday’s game. “I found out probably 20 minutes ago,” Robertson said. “But obviously you know there's rumors flying around, everybody sees it online now. I can't speak high enough about (the White Sox). We had a great opportunity here, we played hard, won some ballgames, we just were never able to really get it done here. I know that now I'm part of the rebuilding process and they're sending me out, but they're getting some new pieces and I'm going to help a team compete and hopefully get to the playoffs.” Though caught in the middle, Frazier seemed to understand the move was coming. Even though he preferred to stay long term earlier in the season, the Toms River, N.J., native sounds as if he’s ready to embrace a chance to win. “It’s very difficult,” Frazier said. “Goodbyes are tough. They’re real tough. Saying bye to guys like the management, Jose Abreu, to everybody. Timmy Anderson, who has been my locker mate for a year and a half. It’s tough. There’s a lot more to it, but we understand the business and I’m going to the Yankees. Pretty excited to see what happens.”

Past 'disbelief' of Cubs trade, Dylan Cease ready to grow with White Sox By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | July 18, 2017 Dylan Cease said he was in a state of "disbelief" for a bit after learning the Cubs traded him and three other prospects to the White Sox last week for Jose Quintana. But amid packing up his stuff at the Cubs' Class A South Bend team and driving to meet the Sox's Class A Kannapolis team for a road series in South Carolina, he did some research on his new organization. Along with outfielder Eloy Jimenez, the right-handed pitching prospect is going from the defending World Series champions to a club that hopes he will be part of such a title a few years down the road. The Sox's new No. 7 prospect, according to Baseball America, finds some excitement in that. "What the Cubs are doing is great, but I obviously didn't have anything to do with that," Cease said on a conference call Tuesday. "It's exciting to be in a system like this one where there are so many talented guys and the potential to do something great is there." Cease, 21, went through a lot with the Cubs, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 draft knowing he needed Tommy John surgery and signed him to an above-slot bonus of $1.5 million. Cease said he was "really, really grateful" for the work the Cubs put in with him as he was built back up. "They not only took a chance on me in the draft, they rehabbed me back, invested a bunch of resources in teaching me, helped change my mechanics," Cease said. "The mental strength program there was great. In terms of growth, they taught me what I never thought I could learn in just a couple of short years." Now Cease is settling in with the Sox organization, for which he made his first start Monday. He allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts over five innings to bring his ERA this season to 2.86 over 14 starts. Cease said he is "not super happy" with how he has executed his pitches this year but feels like he is growing. "Definitely fastball command is always number one," Cease said. "I felt good with it this year. I'll go through stretches where I kind of lose it a little bit. Changeup, offspeed is something I'm just working on getting a feel for. I felt pretty good with my curveball this year. I'm trying to keep on a fastball plane and not letting it get too loopy." At 562/3 innings, he has surpassed his career high from last year but still is being watched carefully as he continues to build up his post-surgery work. He threw just 61 pitches in his outing Monday, and Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the club plans to keep him on a similar path this year as the Cubs set out for him. "We're not going to try to reinvent the wheel with him midstream," Hahn said. "We'll be cognizant of any limits that they may have had on him and how they were treating him and build off that. As we get to know him over the coming weeks and months, we might augment some things a little bit based on what our development people feel, what we're seeing and where he's at in his season."

Cease said he appreciates teams keeping him healthy but also longs for the day when he doesn't need to worry about limits. "I just look forward to being able to compete in the sixth, seventh and eighth where I'm putting everything out there," Cease said. "Whereas sometimes you only throw four or five, you leave feeling like you didn't have a chance to give it everything you had."

Tuesday's recap: Dodgers 1, White Sox 0 By Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune | July 18, 2017 The White Sox turned four double plays Tuesday, but couldn’t solve Clayton Kershaw or the Dodgers bullpen during a 1-0 loss at Guaranteed Rate Field. The victory was the Dodgers’ 10th in a row and Kershaw’s eighth, and the team moved its baseball-best record to 65-29. They are 30-4 since June 7. The Sox fell to an American League-worst 38-53 with their fifth straight loss and eighth in nine games. They managed seven hits of their eight hits against the three-time Cy Young winner, including two each from Tim Anderson and Avisail Garcia. Miguel Gonzalez allowed a first-inning run, five hits, five walks and struck out five in six innings, his first start since June 14. The right-hander had been on the disabled list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Three times the Dodgers loaded the bases, including with nobody out in the eighth, but failed to score in each instance. The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor (four hits) led off the game with an infield single, stole second and scored on Cody Bellinger's single to make it 1-0 in the first. A walk to Logan Forsythe loaded the bases with one out before Joc Pederson hit into the Dodgers’ first double play. The Sox had two baserunners in the first, second and sixth innings. Matt Davidson flew out to the wall in left-center to lead off the ninth for the Sox. White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier was a healthy scratch just before the game. He, along with closer David Robertson and reliever Tommy Kahnle reportedly were involved in a trade with the Yankees. At the plate White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia had two hits. On the mound Kershaw allowed seven hits, one walk and struck out seven in seven innings for the Dodgers to earn his 15th victory. In the field Anderson was involved in turning three of the Sox’s double plays. The quote “He attacks the strike zone, so we have to be ready. If we get our pitch, we can’t miss it. We have to be able to maximize what we’re capable of doing. This guy really commands the zone, and his breaking ball has a tremendous bite. It’s kind of tough to lay off of him. Most of the clubs he has been facing have been having a tough time laying off the hard breaking pitches he throws. He commands the outer part of the plate with his fastball, works both sides of the plate well. We’ll just have to see if we can catch some balls out over the plate and see what we can do.” –Sox manager Rick Renteria on Kershaw. Up next

Vs. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, CSN. RH Kenta Maeda (7-4, 4.38) vs. LH Carlos Rodon (1-2, 4.32).

White Sox send three players ‘home’ in deal with Yankees By Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune | July 19, 2017 David Robertson emerged from the White Sox clubhouse late Tuesday night in search of his son, who was wearing a White Sox jersey with his name on the back. “Gotta start packing,” the now-former Sox closer said as he headed back to retrieve his belongings, son in tow. Robertson, third baseman Todd Frazier and right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle did, too. The three are going back home in their own ways after they were traded to the Yankees following Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. Robertson spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Yankees, and was Mariano Rivera’s setup man and eventual successor as closer. Frazier grew up rooting for the Yankees in nearby Toms River, N.J. Kahnle was picked by the Yankees in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. In return, the White Sox received highly regarded outfield prospect Blake Rutherford (30th in baseball, according to MLB.com), right-handed pitching prospect Ian Clarkin, outfield prospect Tito Polo and veteran right-hander Tyler Clippard. “It's easy. I know everyone over there,” Robertson said of the transition. “So it will be like going back home. My son was born there." Robertson, whose contract expires after next season, is owed around $19 million on a three-year free-agent deal he signed with the Sox before the 2015 season. He was 15-10 with a 3.28 ERA, 84 saves and 208 strikeouts and 56 walks in 159 innings with the Sox. Like Robertson and Kahnle, Frazier, who will be a free agent after this year, said he was grateful for his season-and-a-half with the Sox. Frazier, who was a healthy scratch just before Tuesday’s game, also said he was excited to join team in the playoff hunt. “Maybe I can stay at home a little more or maybe I can stay in the city,” said Frazier, whose offseason home is in New Jersey. “It’s nice to have a couple of my buddies coming with me. “It’s kind of surreal here right now because it all happened at once. You hear the rumors; it could have been a different team. But it’s the Yankees, so I’m pretty excited.” The two-time All-Star hit .220 with 56 home runs, 142 RBIs and a .765 OPS after being traded to the Sox before the 2015 season. He had a career-high 40 home runs and 98 RBIs last season. Kahnle has emerged this season as one of the better relievers in baseball. He makes the league minimum ($535,000) and is arbitration eligible after this year. After spending the first two years of his career with the Rockies, Kahnle joined the White Sox in 2016, when he was 0-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 25 strikeouts and 21 walks in 27 1/3 innings. He has a 2.50 ERA with 60 strikeouts and just seven walks in 36 innings this year and ranked among the hardest-throwing relievers in the game. “A lot of chaos, I guess, going on. Just trying to pack up and get to where I gotta go,” Kahnle said. “(The Yankees) are in the hunt and I think it’s gonna be really fun to experience this.” Kahnle and Robertson fill a need in the back of the bullpen for the Yankees. Robertson likely will be used as a setup man again. Frazier possibly could play first base.

“I know it’s perhaps a little surprising, especially given what we have done over the last several months in terms of these individual trades, to see three players the caliber of Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson all in the same deal” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “But in order to get the caliber of return that helps continue the process that we’ve started over the last several months, we felt this was the prudent path to get the most impactful talent in the organization.” Yoan Moncada, the No. 1-ranked prospect in baseball who was acquired in the Chris Sale deal with the Red Sox, will be called up from Triple-A Charlotte for Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers.

White Sox net another top 50 prospect in big trade with Yankees By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | July 19, 2017 Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw was on the mound Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, and yet many eyes were trained on the White Sox dugout. With third baseman Todd Frazier benched as a healthy scratch before the game, fans and media were looking for the hugs and handshakes that might signal Sox general manager Rick Hahn had made another blockbuster trade to boost what is becoming one of the best farm systems in baseball. After the 1-0 Sox loss to the Dodgers, Hahn addressed the media to talk about what the Sox hope was the underlying victory. The Sox traded Frazier, closer David Robertson and setup man Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees on Tuesday for outfield prospect Blake Rutherford, left-handed pitching prospect Ian Clarkin, right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard and outfield prospect Tito Polo. It was the second big deal in six days after the Sox sent left-hander Jose Quintana to the Cubs for four prospects Thursday. That trade drove up the number of Sox prospects in Baseball America's midseason top 100 to seven, and Rutherford will be their eighth, though Hahn announced top prospect Yoan Moncada will join the Sox on Wednesday. "It has been an exciting time around here," Hahn said. "It's an interesting feeling. Tonight was a pretty perfect example. You had a beautiful night, a good crowd here at the park and a 1-0 ballgame against Clayton Kershaw, but at the same time I'm guessing a large portion of White Sox nation was refreshing Twitter to find out what the latest trade rumor was and feel some hope about the future." Rutherford, ranked the No. 36 overall prospect in Baseball America's midseason top 100, is the star minor leaguer in the trade. The No. 18 overall pick in the 2016 draft out of his California high school, Rutherford, 20, was hitting .281 with 20 doubles, 25 walks, 55 strikeouts, nine stolen bases and a .342 on-base percentage over 71 games in Class A this year. He has played all three outfield positions but spent the most time in center field. Hahn said the Sox had Rutherford on their draft board last year. "He has numerous supporters throughout the organization who have been championing his cause since his senior year of high school," Hahn said. "I don't like putting comps on players, but we do view him as having an extremely high ceiling, and a guy who when we start looking around at Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada, he fits into that potential mold of a potential high-impact offensive player who potentially can also help you defensively." Clarkin was a first-round draft pick in 2013 and has a 2.62 ERA with 25 walks and 58 strikeouts over 15 games, including 14 starts, this season in Class A. Polo, 22, was hitting .307 with 14 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, 37 RBIs, 22 walks, 27 stolen bases, 56 runs scored and a .369 on-base percentage over 74 games between Class A and Double A this season. Clippard is an 11-year major-league veteran who owns a 4.95 ERA over 40 appearances this year. Hahn said the Sox had been talking to the Yankees for a long time about possible trades and first started talking about the bundle of three players together three days ago. The return was worked out Tuesday afternoon, and the Sox completed the deal without having to eat any of the remainder of Frazier's and Robertson's contracts.

"In the end putting all three in the same deal wound up netting us the most impactful result," Hahn said. "Instead of doing individual deals that might have added a little bit of lower-level depth at various points in the organization, we decided to do what we could to secure the most potential impact talent." Frazier, who will be a free agent after this season, and Robertson, whose contract runs through 2018 were expected to be traded before the deadline. But Kahnle was a wild card that Hahn said the Sox weren't necessarily looking to move until they felt out his value with other clubs. Frazier joined the White Sox from the Reds via a three-team trade in December 2015, in which the Sox sent Micah Johnson, Trayce Thompson and Frankie Montas to the Dodgers. Frazier hit .225 with 40 homers and 98 RBIs in 2016 and is hitting .207 with 16 homers and 44 RBIs this season. Robertson, who pitched the first seven seasons of his career with the Yankees, signed a four-year, $46 million contract with the Sox in December 2014, including $12 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018. He entered Tuesday with a 2.70 ERA and was 13-for-14 on save opportunities. The Sox acquired Kahnle from the Rockies in 2015, and he has had a breakout season, with a 2.50 ERA, seven walks and 60 strikeouts in 36 innings. "When you have an opportunity to move someone like that for a piece that perhaps fits a little better in the long term, it's a sacrifice for the near term that we were comfortable making," Hahn said.

White Sox to call up top prospect Yoan Moncada: 'We’re not bringing him here to sit' By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | July 19, 2017 White Sox general manager Rick Hahn had just announced a blockbuster deal to send third baseman Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson and setup man Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees for four players late Tuesday night. And then he mentioned he had buried the lede. If a second massive trade in six days wasn’t enough to get fans excited about the rebuild, top prospect Yoan Moncada will join the Sox on Wednesday and is expected to play on a regular basis. Moncada’s call-up was prompted because an infield position will open up with Frazier gone in a deal that netted ranked outfield prospect Blake Rutherford, left-handed pitching prospect Ian Clarkin, right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard and outfield prospect Tito Polo. Moncada will be the first of that group to see time with the Sox this year, and reliever Brad Goldberg will also be called up to fill a roster spot. Moncada, who saw time with the Red Sox last year, hit .282 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, 57 runs scored, 49 walks, 17 stolen bases and a .377 on-base percentage in 80 games with Triple-A Charlotte this year. “We’re not bringing him here to sit,” Hahn said. “We’re bringing him here to continue the development that needs to take place in Chicago. He still has work to do. He’s very young, but we feel he’s ready for that next challenge that comes at the big-league level.” Moncada will join the Sox for the second and final game of the series with the Dodgers at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SuperHahn! By Steve Rosenbloom / Chicago Tribune | July 19, 2017 He looks like an academic, that Rick Hahn. He certainly has the papers — Michigan undergrad, Harvard Law, Kellogg School of Management — to go along with an appearance that makes you think he wears patches on his elbows. And then the White Sox GM rips off the tweed jacket to reveal a big red H on his chest and SuperHahn rockets across the sky, swoops down across major league offices and, faster than a speeding bullet, scoops up every team’s best prospect, or prospects, plural, or former No. 1 draft choice, or all of the above. Baseball’s new Clark Kent struck again Tuesday night, trading third baseman Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson and reliever Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees for four players, three of them prospects, and one of them, outfielder Blake

Rutherford, the prize of the deal, just became the fourth-ranked prospect in the Sox’s suddenly talent-packed and much-envied farm system. "He has numerous supporters throughout the organization who have been championing his cause since his senior year of high school," Hahn said of the Yankees’ top draft pick in 2016. "I don't like putting comps on players, but we do view him as having an extremely high ceiling, and a guy who when we start looking around at Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada, he fits into that potential mold of a potential high-impact offensive player who potentially can also help you defensively." Thanks to Hahn’s latest surgical strike that followed dealing Chris Sale, Adam Eaton and Jose Quintana, the Sox boast 10 of the top 68 prospects as ranked by MLB.com, the most in baseball. They have seven of top 36, topped by No. 1 overall prospect, Yoan Moncada. No. Wait. He’s not the No. 1 prospect anymore. Here’s here. Starting against the Dodgers tonight. Life comes at you fast. Hahn dropped that news on everybody Tuesday night when he announced the Yankees deal, and there’s no little symmetry in Moncada’s promotion. It follows Hahn’s fourth major trade in eight months that sent away a total of six major leaguers and, bang, just like that, smartly and methodically, patiently and stubbornly, he rebuilt the Sox into the sport’s best farm system. Hahn’s latest move also is expected to provide more at-bats for Matt Davidson. In the wake of Frazier’s departure, Davidson will get a chance to show he deserves to start. Another chance. When he was acquired for Addison Reed in 2013, Davidson was talked about the way some of Hahn’s haul has been characterized. Remember that? No? Well, perhaps you should. Because Davidson is the caveat in all this. A 2009 first-round draft choice by the Diamondbacks, Davidson is a poster child for prospects as suspects. It has been four seasons since Davidson arrived. With 18 home runs in just 252 at-bats and a slugging percentage over .500 this year, Davidson is just now delivering the kind of season the Sox have been waiting on. It might be that long for some or all of the Sox prospects, too. That’s the usual timeline, not the Cubs’ miracle during which every callup spent 20 minutes in the minors and then immediately became a major league All-Star or World Series hero or something even more ridiculous than David Ross’ shelf life. So, it might not work out the way it did for the Cubs. But nothing the Sox have done since they won the World Series 12 years ago has worked, either. Certainly nothing that screamed sustained success. So, sit back, relax and strap it down. If the Sox were going to commit to a move that takes nerve and brains, then they get full marks for a textbook rebuild at this point. When Hahn traded good contracts, he brought back a pile of talent. When he dumped money and rental players, he still brought back a top-30 talent. I don’t know if they keep track of such things for GMs, but Hahn gets credit for a quality start. The Sox are filled with hope and talent. When’s the last time you could honestly say that? Really, then, there’s only one question left: Can SuperHahn run the Bulls' rebuild?

White Sox to hold annual game celebrating Negro Leagues The White Sox will hold the 10th annual Double Duty Classic game to celebrate the history of the Negro Leagues in Chicago. By Elan Kane / Chicago Sun-Times | July 18, 2017 The White Sox will hold the 10th annual Double Duty Classic game at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday to celebrate the history of Negro Leagues in Chicago and promote the next generation of inner-city baseball players. The game begins at 1:05 p.m. and will feature the best inner-city high school baseball players dressed in retro East-West All-Star uniforms. Admission to the game is free and Comcast SportsNet will broadcast the game live. Fans must enter the ballpark through Gate 5. ‘‘This year’s event is particularly special as we mark the 10th Double Duty Classic event in our history,’’ said Sox vice president of community relations Christine O’Reilly in a news release. ‘‘Each year, we have seen young men participate in

the event, learn and grow from the experience here – not only on the field, but in their careers away from the field and at home.” There will also be a forum discussion before the game for invited guests on the history of the Negro Leagues and African-Americans in baseball. The forum will include Negro Leagues Baseball museum president Bob Kendrick, MLB senior vice president of youth programs Tony Reagins, Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson and Sox executive vice president Ken Williams. ‘‘It is so important to us that we continue to share the incredible legacy of the Negro Leagues with the next generation, so that we never take for granted the sacrifice and dedication of those men who played in order to give others a chance to play.’’ The DDC is named in honor of Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, who played for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues. Past alumni of the game include White Sox prospects Courtney Hawkins and Blake Hickman.

White Sox Charities to honor Tim Raines with bobblehead fundraiser White Sox Charities wants to give the nod to Hall of Famer Tim Raines. By Madeline Kenney / Chicago Sun-Times | July 18, 2017 White Sox Charities wants to give the nod to Hall of Famer Tim Raines. The organization announced Tuesday that it will honor the Sox legend with a limited-edition bobblehead. Tim Raines bobbleheads will be available for purchase online and at Guaranteed Rate Field. All proceeds will go to White Sox Charities. | Courtesy of the White Sox The bobblehead features two figures of Raines — one of him wearing Sox pinstripes and the other will feature him in a Montreal Expos uniform. The two bobbleheads will share a base. It was designed to honor Raines’ career in the American League and National League. Fans can purchase the bobbleheads online and at White Sox home games beginning July 28. They cost $40 each, plus handling fees if the bobbleheads are purchased online. Tim Raines bobbleheads will be available for purchase online and at Guaranteed Rate Field. All proceeds will go to Chicago White Sox Charities. | Courtesy of the White Sox All the proceeds will benefit White Sox Charities. The Sox are also honoring the “Rock” with his own day at the ballpark. The team is hosting a “Tim Raines Day” Sept. 8 at Guaranteed Rate Fied. Raines, 57, is regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners in baseball history. He batted .283 with 50 home runs, 277 RBI, 440 runs scored and 142 stolen bases in 648 games with the Sox. He’s ranked second in the Sox’ organization in runs scored, stolen bases and triples (28), and he’s third in doubles (98). The seven-time NL All-Star and 1986 Silver Slugger Award recipient spent five of his 23 major-league seasons on the South Side. Tim Raines, who played five of his 23 seasons with the White Sox, had a career .385 OBP. | Getty Images After spending more than two decades in the majors, Raines decided to return to the dugout as a coach. He spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons as a member of the Sox’ coaching staff, serving as the first-base coach for the 2005 World Series championship team. Raines was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America this winter, receiving 86 percent of the vote. He’ll be inducted at the end of this month in Cooperstown, New York, with other members of the Class of 2017. This is the fourth straight year White Sox Charities is having a bobblehead fundraiser. Previous campaigns included Sox team captain Paul Konerko in 2014, first baseman Jose Abreu in 2015 and legendary two-sport athlete Bo Jackson in 2016. The bobbleheads have raised a combined total of more than $300,000 for White Sox Charities.

White Sox trade Robertson, Frazier, Kahnle to Yankees, call up Moncada The Moncada announcement and the multiplayer trade capped a flurry of activity in advance of the non-waiver trade deadline. By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | July 19, 2017 The White Sox made another big trade Tuesday night. And then they dropped an unexpected bombshell. “I suppose I buried the lead when I failed to mention that Yoan Moncada will be in uniform tomorrow,’’ general manager Rick Hahn said shortly after discussing his latest big trade late Tuesday that sent closer David Robertson, third baseman Todd Frazier and right-hander Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees for outfielder Blake Rutherford, the No. 30 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com, and left-hander Ian Clarkin, outfielder Tito Polo and right-hander Tyler Clippard. The Moncada announcement and unexpected multiplayer trade — Frazier and Robertson were expected to be dealt in separate deals for limited or modest returns — capped a flurry of activity in advance of the non-waiver trade deadline as the Sox shift their rebuild into an even higher gear. The process began in December with the trade of Chris Sale for four Red Sox prospects, including Moncada, the No. 1-ranked prospect in baseball. Moncada is a fleet power hitter who bats from both sides of the plate. His arrival has been much anticipated, to say the least. “He still has some work to do,’’ Hahn said. “He’s still very young, but we feel he’s ready for that next challenge at the big-league level.’’ Moncada, 22, was batting .282 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI, 57 runs, 49 walks, 17 stolen bases and a .377 on-base percentage in 80 games with Class AAA Charlotte. He struggled when the Red Sox called him up last September, one reason why the Sox were patient in calling him up. “There’s going to be growing pains here; he’s not a finished product,’’ Hahn said. “There is still going to be an element of development that will happen in Chicago.’’ The Sox are also calling up right-hander Brad Goldberg from Charlotte to fill out the pitching staff and will use Clippard (4.95 ERA, one save) in late-inning situations. The trade was the Sox’ second major deal for prospects in six days and fourth since they embarked on an aggressive rebuilding mission in December. The Sox dealt Jose Quintana to the Cubs on Thursday for four prospects. Frazier is in the last year of his contract, and Robertson has one more after this season. Without Kahnle, though, who is eligible for arbitration next year, the deal wouldn’t have been made, Hahn said. Kahnle, 27, is having a breakout season with his 2.50 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 36 innings. “We made the determination that bundling these three players was the best way to maximize our return on any transaction,” Hahn said. “This trade brought back the most quality as opposed to spreading our assets across multiple deals. “Blake Rutherford 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 rest of this season.” With the addition of Rutherford, the Sox now have 10 of the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB.com, the most in the majors. All are in the top 68. Frazier was informed that a deal was in the works and was announced as a healthy scratch a half-hour before the game. “The fans have been great,’’ Frazier said after the Sox’ 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. “Chicago has been awesome. It’s on to my next journey.’’ Robertson is under contract for $13 million next season and was arguably having his best season of three with the Sox. He owns a 2.70 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 11 walks in 33„ innings.

But it’s out with the old and in with the new. Look for Moncada to be in the lineup when the Sox play the Dodgers on Wednesday night. “It’s time for Yoan to get that opportunity to take that next step,’’ Hahn said.

Dodgers, Kershaw extend White Sox’ losing streak to five Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings for the Dodgers. By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | July 19, 2017 The White Sox had a tall order Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, trying to halt a four-game skid while facing three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. The Sox countered with Miguel Gonzalez, who was making his first start since going on the disabled list with a sore shoulder June 18. Then, as they took the field, word was spreading that Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle were close to being traded. Though they put up a fight, the Sox fell 1-0, and the Dodgers extended their winning streak to 10 games, their second 10-game run of the season. Rookie sensation Cody Bellinger singled home Chris Taylor in the first inning, and the lead held. Gonzalez struck out five and pitched around five walks to post six innings of one-run ball. Kershaw (seven strikeouts, one walk) pitched seven scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.07 before turning the game over to the bullpen. He earned his major-league-leading 15th victory. Right-hander Dylan Cease, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect acquired in the trade for Jose Quintana, expressed his appreciation for the care and coaching he received in the Cubs’ system a day after pitching his first game for the Sox’ Class A affiliate at Kannapolis. But now it’s time to move on. “It doesn’t really matter,’’ he said of moving from an organization that won the World Series in 2016. “All that matters is what I’m learning and getting better and hopefully make it and be part of something special. What the Cubs are doing is great, but I obviously didn’t have anything to do with that. It’s exciting to be in a system like this one where there are so many talented guys and the potential to do something great is there.’’ Cease, who had Tommy John surgery in 2014, isn’t satisfied with how he’s executing pitches but has “learned a ton” this year. Command of his mid- to upper-90s fastball is his top priority. “I need to keep getting innings and get experience to keep working on things,’’ he said. Cease pitched five innings of two-run ball in his first start for Kannapolis on Monday. The Cubs “not only took a chance on me in the draft [knowing he needed surgery], they rehabbed me back, invested a bunch of resources in teaching me and helped change my mechanics,” Cease said. “The mental-strength program was great. In terms of growth, they taught me what I never thought I could learn in just a couple of short years.” Award for Avisail Avisail Garcia is the Sox’ recipient of the 2017 Heart and Hustle Award, which honors players who demonstrate a passion for the game and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. It’s the only MLB award voted on by former players. “He’s having a breakout year and getting more notice for his skills; we have appreciated this quality of his since Day 1,’’ Sox vice president Ken Williams said.

Yankees get Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle from White Sox By Associated Press | July 18, 2017 CHICAGO -- The New York Yankees have acquired infielder Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox for reliever Tyler Clippard and three prospects. The deal was announced Tuesday night, less than two weeks before the nonwaiver trade deadline.

The Yankees are aiming for a playoff run, while the White Sox made their second big trade in a week - last Thursday, they sent ace Jose Quintana to the crosstown Cubs for four minor leaguers.

Cease hoping to do 'something great' with Chicago White Sox By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | July 18, 2017 The Chicago Cubs didn't have to wait long to reap the benefits from Thursday's trade with the Chicago White Sox. In his first start for the North Siders after exiting the South Side, Jose Quintana scattered 3 hits and struck out 12 over 7 innings Sunday in an 8-0 win at Baltimore. After making the deal, general manager Rick Hahn said no one in the Sox's organization wanted to see Quintana "walk out the door." But as the White Sox continue to rebuild, they are more than willing to wait on quality young talent. They're also thrilled to have the Cubs' top two prospects acquired for Quintana -- outfielder Eloy Jimenez and right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease. Jimenez is Baseball America's No. 5 overall prospect and Cease is No. 83. How does Cease feel about Jimenez? "Eloy is one of the most talented players I've ever seen, especially the fact he's only 20," Cease said. "I expect he's going to do really big things." The White Sox have a similar feeling about Cease, who had Tommy John surgery before the 2014 draft but still received a $1.5 million signing bonus from the Cubs. The 21-year-old starter is a combined 1-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 56⅔ innings with low Class A South Bend and Kannapolis this season. Making his Sox debut with Kannapolis on Monday night, Cease pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and had 4 strikeouts. "I'm not super happy with how I've executed pitches," said Cease, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from suburban Atlanta. "I feel like in terms of learning and growing, I've learned a ton. I need to keep getting innings and get experience." While he is grateful to the Cubs' organization for signing him and helping him get past elbow surgery, Cease is not looking back. "All that matters is what I'm doing to keep learning and keep getting better and hopefully make it and be part of something special," he said. "Obviously, what the Cubs are doing is great, but I didn't have anything to do with that. It's exciting to be in a system like this one where there are so many talented guys and the potential to do something great is there." Good cause: Beginning July 28, the White Sox are going to sell limited edition Tim Raines bobbleheads. Raines, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 30, played for the Sox from 1991-95. The bobblehead features two figures of Raines, one in a White Sox uniform and one in a Montreal Expos uniform. Purchases ($40 plus shipping) can be made at whitesox.com or Section 135 at Guaranteed Rate Field. All proceeds benefit Chicago White Sox Charities.

Sox trade Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle to Yankees; Moncada coming up By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | July 19, 2017 When general manager Rick Hahn said the Chicago White Sox were still open for business on the last homestand, he wasn't lying.

Hahn traded his best player -- starting pitcher Jose Quintana -- to the Chicago Cubs last Thursday for promising minor leaguers Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease along with two other prospects. After Tuesday night's 1-0 loss to Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Hahn traded three more veterans -- third baseman/DH Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson and relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle -- to the New York Yankees for three more prospects and veteran reliever Tyler Clippard. There is more. After the latest deal, Hahn also announced that baseball's No. 1 prospect, second baseman Yoan Moncada, will join the Sox on Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. "We're not bringing him here to sit," Hahn said of Moncada, who batted .285/.381/.452 with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 17 stolen bases at Class AAA Charlotte. "We're bringing him to here to continue to develop, and that needs to take place in Chicago. "He still has some work to do. He is obviously still very young (22), but we feel that he's ready for that next challenge that comes at the big-league level." Getting back to the Yankees trade, the Sox acquired outfielder Blake Rutherford, the No. 30 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, outfielder Tito Polo and Clippard. The Yankees are picking up all of the money left on the contracts of Frazier, Robertson and Kahnle. Rutherford gives the White Sox 10 of the Top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB.com. Moncada was No. 1, Jimenez is No. 8, right-hander Michael Kopech is No. 11, outfielder Luis Robert is No. 23, right-hander Lucas Giolito is No. 28, right-hander Reynaldo López is No. 36, right-hander Carson Fulmer is No. 59, Cease is No. 63 and catcher Zack Collins is No. 68. Drafted No. 18 overall by New York in 2016, Rutherford was batting .281/.342/.391 with 20 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 30 RBI and 9 stolen bases in 71 games with low Class A Charleston (South Carolina) this season. "Blake Rutherford, we view him as a similar caliber player to some of the position players that now head up our top prospect list," Hahn said. "A potential impact bat, left-handed hitter who has a chance to stay in center field and provide us with not only a quality at-bat but also quality defense." Frazier was in the White Sox's original starting lineup, batting cleanup as the designated hitter. Ninety minutes before first pitch, Frazier was scratched. "I talked to Rick Hahn before the game and he said there might be something going on, so they scratched me from the lineup," Frazier said. "Usually when that happens, usually something's going to go down." In 82 games with the White Sox this season, Frazier slashed .207/.328/.432 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI. Robertson goes back to the Yankees, where he set up all-star closer Mariano Rivera from 2008-14. The right-hander had 13 saves in 14 opportunities for the Sox this season. Kahnle was a big surprise for the White Sox, going 1-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 37 appearances. The right-hander had 60 strikeouts and only 7 walks in 36 innings. "It is nice to go with a couple guys," Kahnle said. "That way you're familiar with a couple people. I know a few guys over there. That's where I came up. I've had a lot of fun times here. I'm going to miss all these guys. The organization, everybody was great to me."

Q&A: Pitching prospect Dylan Cease ready to get going with White Sox By James Fegan / The Athletic | July 18, 2017 After dealing with the shock of being traded from the Cubs to the White Sox last Thursday, a long drive to meet his teammates on the Low-A Kannapolis Intimidators while they were in Greenville, South Carolina, and his debut start in the

Sox organization (five strong innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts on Monday), 21-year-old right-hander Dylan Cease got one more treat on Tuesday: a conference call with the White Sox beat. Q: What was your reaction to be traded? A: It was more, I don't know if shocked is the right word, I kind of had a feeling when I got scratched from my start. I guess it was more just a little bit of disbelief, but not necessarily in a negative way, just kind of a shell-shocked way. Q: What has your last week been like? A: It was pretty hectic, especially the first two days. I ended up driving down from my old team to South Carolina and then getting there, getting settled in, meeting everybody. That was a little overwhelming but it was nice to finally be back out on the field and get to play again. Q: How much are you aware of the White Sox rebuilding effort and the prospects they've put together? A: I looked everything up and seen the players and they've got a ton of talent, so it's really exciting, I look forward to meeting those guys in person. Q: You were traded along with Eloy Jimenez, what are your thoughts on him and being able to stick together? A: Eloy is one of the most talented players I've ever seen, especially the fact he's only, I think, 20. I expect he's going to do really big things. For me, I think I just want to go out there and keep learning, keep getting better. I don't know exactly when any of that would be. But I know if I keep trusting everything and getting better, hopefully it's sooner rather than later. Like I said, I'm just looking forward to keep playing and competing. Q: What are your thoughts on the Cubs organization and the time you spent there? A: I'm really, really grateful for my time spent with that organization because they not only took a chance on me in the draft, they rehabbed me back, invested a bunch of resources in teaching me, helped change my mechanics, the mental strength program there was great. In terms of growth, they taught me what I never thought I can learn in just a couple short years. I'm really grateful I had the opportunity to work with them. Q: Is it flattering at all to be in a trade for a pitcher as good as Jose Quintana? A: It's definitely one of those things that's an honor. I look more into just what do I have to keep doing to improve and to be that guy that they all are hopefully projecting, but it's definitely an honor and humbling to go, especially with Eloy, too, because he's such a talented player. For them to see that and see that potential, it's really an honor. Q: You're going from an organization that just won the World Series, to one that last won when you were 10 years old, but is putting together a deep farm system. Do you put any stock in the change of scenery? A: At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is what I’m doing to keep learning and keep getting better and hopefully make it and be part of something special. Obviously what the Cubs are doing is great but I obviously didn’t have anything to do with that. It’s exciting to be in a system like this one where there are so many talented guys and the potential to do something great is there. Q: How have you felt about your progress this year? A: Yeah. I’m not super happy with how I’ve executed pitches. I feel like in terms of learning and growing I’ve learned a ton. I need to keep getting innings and get experience to keep working on. Q: What aren’t you happy with, what are you trying to improve start-to-start? A: Definitely fastball command is always No. 1. I felt good with it this year. I’ll go through stretches where I kind of lose it a little bit. Changeup, offspeed is something I’m just working on getting a feel for. I felt pretty good with my curveball this year. Trying to keep it on a fastball plane and not letting it get too loopy. Just little things like that. Q: Michael Kopech says it’s hard to work on changeup in games in the minors, have you found that to be the case as well?

A: Yeah, it’s, sometimes I feel like I kind of force myself to throw it in situations because that’s what the minor leagues is for. I’d rather throw it down here and give up some runs and hits and learn than up at the higher level. That’s what the minor leagues are for. I’m not too worried about that. Q: Rick Hahn said he wanted to keep you on the plan the Cubs had because you've had so much success, rather than start from scratch. What kind of limits did the Cubs have you on? A: I’m not sure what their long-term plan is over the season. I know that yesterday they kind of kept it on the same plan the Cubs were on, I threw five innings with 62 pitches maybe. I thought maybe they would let me go 90 pitches. I’m thinking they’ll let me build up, but I’m not sure. I’m not too worried about it. Q: Do you feel like the way you've been handled has been overprotective at times? A: I don’t know if overprotective is the word for it. I appreciate what they’re trying to do keeping me safe. I just look forward to being able to compete in the sixth, seventh and eighth where I’m putting everything out there whereas sometimes you only throw four or five. You leave feeling like you didn’t have a chance to give it everything you had, you know?

By the numbers: Clayton Kershaw not distracted by White Sox trade rumors By James Fegan / The Athletic | July 18, 2017 While you were being overrun with trade rumors on Twitter, the White Sox (38-53) were being overmatched by dominant stuff from Clayton Kershaw. Playing in the shadow of a wave of trade rumors surrounding not only Todd Frazier (a healthy scratch Tuesday), but also David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, the Sox battled the first-place Dodgers close, helping Miguel Gonzalez overcome five walks with nifty defense, but never broke through against Kershaw, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen, losing 1-0.

*** A few inches: Distance Matt Davidson’s ninth-inning blast off Jansen to left-center came from tying the game 1-1, before falling for a harmless fly out. He’s still stuck on 18 home runs for the year, and came up just short of delaying the inevitable barrage of trade-related postgame questions centered around the guy he'll likely end up replacing at third base. 4: Double plays turned by a suddenly flawless White Sox defense that danced around six walks to hold the Dodgers' potent offense in check. The Dodgers wound up stranding 10 baserunners in addition to four erased by double-play balls while going a whopping 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Four also represents the number of scoreless outings Kershaw has recorded this season, a feat he achieved with seven scoreless innings Tuesday despite not having his best command. 5: Season-high walk total for Gonzalez in his first start since the beginning of June. He put another on base by plunking Chase Utley, despite throwing roughly two-thirds of his pitches for strikes. Five also represents his highest strikeout total since the end of May, so the stuff was there, even if the control abandoned him. 25: Season-high total number of curveballs thrown Tuesday by Gonzalez, who has been slowly emphasizing the pitch more all season as part of a staff-wide initiative. Ten swinging strikes represent his highest total since April 8, providing some more encouragement that his stint on the disabled list returned some life to his stuff. 1-for-31: Kevan Smith throwing out baserunners this season. He’s framing, his bat has improved, and throwing out base-stealers is not the end-all, be-all (nor is the low success rate entirely his fault), but this has to be better for him to stick long-term. Chris Taylor scored the Dodgers' only run of the night after swiping second in the first inning. 3: Multi-hit games for Tim Anderson this month after coming up with a pair of singles against Kershaw from the leadoff spot. Three is also the number of double plays Anderson personally took part in, and the number of multi-hit games for Avisail Garcia since the All-Star break after he added a pair of singles of his own.

White Sox to call up top prospect Yoan Moncada By James Fegan / The Athletic | July 19, 2017 In case Tuesday night wasn't eventful enough, general manager Rick Hahn once again upped the ante and announced that top MLB prospect Yoan Moncada will be called up to the White Sox for Wednesday night's matchup with the Dodgers.

The announcement came just minutes (OK, maybe even seconds) after the White Sox officially announced their trade of Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees for Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin, Tito Polo and Tyler Clippard. In 80 games at Triple-A Charlotte this season, Moncada has slashed .282/.377/.447 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. Moncada played in his second straight Futures Game last week after being named the game's MVP in 2016. “We're not bringing him here to sit,” Hahn said when he made the announcement Tuesday night. “We are bringing him here to continue the development that needs to take place in Chicago. He still has some work to do. He’s obviously still very young. But we feel that he’s ready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level.” With Frazier gone, the White Sox figure to be able to rotate Yolmer Sanchez and Tyler Saladino over to third base and filling in some at shortstop for playing time, but Moncada likely takes near-everyday ownership of second base for the rest of the season. “There’s going to be growing pains here,” Hahn said. “He’s not a finished product. I don’t suspect any of these players as they make their debut here in the coming months and years, no matter how highly anticipated they may be, there’s still going to be an element of development that’s going to happen in Chicago. The thought is it’s time for Yoan to get that opportunity to take that next step.” Moncada was acquired last December in the Chris Sale trade to the Red Sox, with whom he made his major league debut on Sept. 6, 2016. The White Sox will also call up right-hander reliever Brad Goldberg on Wednesday. Goldberg, 27, made his major league debut this June in Detroit and allowed four runs in a third of an inning in his only appearance. Clippard will fill the other hole left in the roster and bullpen.

White Sox trade Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle to Yankees for prospects By James Fegan / The Athletic | July 18, 2017 What do you do when you have a handful of desirable assets, none of whom are guaranteed to bring back a big return? Package them all together, of course. Less than 24 hours after everyone in baseball had the Red Sox closing in on a much needed third base upgrade with Todd Frazier, Rick Hahn and the White Sox flipped Frazier and a massive bullpen upgrade of David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to their arch-rival New York Yankees in a surprising deal on Tuesday night. In return the White Sox receive a package headlined by 2016 first-round pick, outfielder Blake Rutherford and 22-year-old left-hander Ian Clarkin. They also received outfielder Tito Polo and veteran right-hander Tyler Clippard. Rutherford is a 20-year-old hitting .281/.342/.391 in Class-A Charleston, but has potential plus-hit and plus-power according to league scouts, though some see him settling into more of an average role when he likely moves to a corner and his power doesn’t actualize as hoped. “We made the determination that bundling these three players together was the best way to maximize our return on any transaction,” Hahn said in a statement. “We felt this trade with the Yankees brought back the most quality as opposed to spreading our assets across multiple deals. Clarkin is also a former first-rounder, but from 2013, and has weathered Tommy John surgery and other various ailments while pitching in his third year at High-A Tampa. Scouts say he can still get up to 95 mph, but the likelihood that he’s a reliever seems high. “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.” Clippard and his $4.2 million salary seem like an effort to provide the Yankees some financial relief from taking on Robertson, but could help keep Sox games from wearing the the fallout of this attrition from their bullpen too much. If nothing else, the media might appreciate his presence.

Frazier’s value was always mitigated by the lack of team control, while Robertson’s value was compromised by roughly $18 million owed to him through the end of 2018. But Kahnle is all control and upside, providing the Yankees three years of a young (he turns 28 next month), potentially elite reliever if his great leap forward in 2017 holds. As we reviewed in potential returns for Frazier, Robertson, Melky Cabrera and Anthony Swarzak, no one single trade asset could bring back more than B-level prospects or a virtual ticket player with unproven raw tools. But the Yankees’ weakness at the infield corners, and the prospect of forming a super bullpen with Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances, gave the White Sox just the right prospect-laden trade partner to squeeze yet another premium return out of seemingly nowhere. It’s not a blockbuster return or a coup by any means, but Rutherford gives the White Sox a consensus preseason top-50 prospect, though a very risky and raw one, which they weren’t in a position to acquire without pooling their resources into one deal. Rick Hahn hasn’t built a playoff winner in his time on the South Side, and he hasn’t always had dynamite success with his attempts to patch holes on his team’s roster with major league pieces from outside. But his job is all about stacking high-ceiling talent these days, and he’s proven to be damned good at that, and especially good at driving bidding up from multiple suitors. With Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, this represents the third major White Sox deal where bidding has been on one track before a late entry came into the fray and brought in an impact return. Frazier was scratched before Tuesday’s game — prompting the third version of the lineups on the night, thanks to an earlier misspelling — provoking further speculation that his departure to Boston was inevitable, and making his every disappearance down the hallway toward the clubhouse breaking news as the White Sox somehow tried to wage a war against Clayton Kershaw of all people. They were mostly punchless, which should become an increasingly common theme for the rest of the season with a roster that has been thoroughly gutted of veteran talent in the span of less than a week. But to repeat a theme that will get repeated a few more dozen times or more over the next few years, if the White Sox were going to do this, it behooved them to scorch the Earth and build a glut of minor league talent not seen since the Cubs were mounting up for their run, or when the Royals had “The Best Farm System Ever” before them. Maybe this group has the chance be a group even stronger than those two. At the very least, the White Sox continue to act like that is their goal. “We are still open for business,” Hahn said. “We’re starting to get a little younger in that clubhouse. A few guys are starting to get opportunities over the next few weeks and months. It will be interesting to see. If we don’t do anything over the next couple weeks we’ll have a better assessment of where we are heading into the off-season, perhaps set some things up for them.”

White Sox rebuild takes shape after seven-player trade Tuesday By James Fegan / The Athletic | July 19, 2017 Tommy Kahnle had a lot of jerseys to pack. “Too many,” he said. Draped on the chair in front of his cleaned-out locker were the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Sabres and probably some Notre Dame Fighting Irish. There were enough jerseys lumped together that after a media scrum had swallowed up Todd Frazier and David Robertson for their thoughts on the sudden end of their White Sox tenure, Kahnle was still piling them on his chair as reporters surrounded him, the least-known name who also the key to a surprising seven-player deal with the New York Yankees that landed the White Sox another Top 30 prospect in Single-A outfielder Blake Rutherford, along with left-handed pitcher Ian Clarikin, outfielder Tito Polo and major league pitcher Tyler Clippard. Less than a week after Jose Quintana was traded to the Cubs, the White Sox clubhouse is finally dealing with the realities of a rebuild. The clubhouse didn’t get this trade news until just before it all became official at 11 p.m., but the buzz had been hanging over Guaranteed Rate Field all night. “I found out probably 20 minutes ago,” Robertson said late Tuesday night, which lined up with the timing of Rick Hahn and assistant general manager Jeremy Haber striding into the clubhouse after the White Sox's 1-0 loss Tuesday. “But obviously you know there's rumors flying around, everybody sees it online now.”

Fresh off his umpteenth pregame session addressing trade rumors, Frazier was a healthy scratch at a time of year when that always means something. While neither he nor Robertson or Kahnle were pulled inside the clubhouse during the game — Kahnle was even stretching during the seventh inning — the writing was on the wall. “I talked to Rick Hahn before the game and he said there might be something going on, so he kind of scratched me from the lineup,” Frazier said. “And usually when that happens something is going to go down. Basically I was in and out of the locker room going back and forth and I’d seen stuff on TV and right after the game they brought me in and told me about the news.” For Frazier and Robertson, this trade was a long time coming. Both have been deflecting questions about trade rumors since they showed up in Glendale, Ariz. in the middle of February. Frazier, a New Jersey resident, was already focusing on his easy commute after the game. Before the game, he joked about handing the media spokesman baton to Matt Davidson. Robertson, the former Yankee, is obviously the most familiar with where he’s headed, but he seemed like everything was weighing a bit heavier on his mind. He has a move to middle relief to prepare for and a newborn baby still to worry about. He hung a bit more on the sour notes that brought the Sox to this point. The purpose that brought him to Chicago never really came to fruition. “We had a great opportunity here, we played hard, won some ballgames, we just were never able to really get it done here,” Robertson said. “I know that now I'm part of the rebuilding process and they're sending me out but they're getting some new pieces and I'm going to help a team compete and hopefully get to the playoffs.” Kahnle was really the one person in the position to be stunned. He didn’t even make the club out of spring training. He originally came to Chicago in an overlooked trade that sent fringy A-ball pitching prospect Yency Almonte to Colorado, and his most notable appearance in 2016 was participating in the total bullpen meltdown at the end of May in Kansas City that signaled the end of the Sox’s contending hopes. Now, he’s a guy who has been the subject of countless lusty scouting reports. Kahnle is the guy who just set the relief market for the rest of the deadline. “This deal doesn’t get done without Tommy Kahnle,” Hahn said. “We weren’t looking to move him. He was certainly very popular over the past few weeks, and we had a decent sense he had this kind of value. Until we started pushing on the value with certain clubs, we weren't certain we were going to move him.” Still Kahnle remained himself, if a somewhat quieter version of the rambunctious yeller that charmed the Sox clubhouse through the first half. Affable and smiling, Kahnle wasn’t the one pacing around the locker room on the phone (that was Robertson) or the one trotting out to the dugout by himself and looking at an empty Guaranteed Rate Field one last time (that was Frazier). Kahnle stayed joking and sharing goodbyes with clubbies and bullpen catcher Mark Salas until the end, and managed to sound more grateful than wistful as he looked back on how much his career had turned around in this building. “They helped me a lot over the past two seasons,” said Kahnle, from the same spot where three months ago he was joking that his call up came just as he had finished moving in at Charlotte. “I was a completely different pitcher from 2010 to 2014, 2015. When I came over here, they helped me with a lot of stuff. It’s really paid off, as everybody can tell.” There’s only so much happiness in these endings for Frazier and Robertson. They were brought in to spark a playoff contender, and are headed out in some attempt to salvage some value out of that failure. Robertson will go to a familiar place, but only after surrendering the role of his choosing. Frazier has put on a cheery face, and embraced mentorship, but has been dealing with this tumultuous year as his free agency closes in on him and the pressure to perform closes in. But Kahnle represents the rosiest vision of what the Sox would aspire for this rebuild to be, where both sides came out with a brighter future than they could have ever hoped for coming in, so it’s only fitting he’s best able to sum up how both he and the Sox are feeling. “I felt like I’ve figured it out,” Kahnle said. “I’m gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

White Sox Trade Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle To Yankees By CBS Chicago Staff | July 18, 2017 (CBS) The White Sox pulled off yet another massive move in their rebuilding process Tuesday evening.

Chicago has traded closer David Robertson, third baseman Todd Frazier and reliever Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees, the team announced. The trade was finalized after news of the deal broke during the White Sox’s 1-0 loss to the Dodgers earlier in the evening. In return, the headlining prospect the White Sox received was 20-year-old outfielder Blake Rutherford, a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2016. Chicago also received big league reliever Tyler Clippard, Double-A outfielder Tito Polo and Class-A pitcher Ian Clarkin. “We made the determination that bundling these three players together was the best way to maximize our return on any transaction,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. “We felt this trade with the Yankees brought back the most quality as opposed to spreading our assets across multiple deals.” Coming five days after the White Sox received prized outfielder prospect Eloy Jimenez from the Cubs in the Jose Quintana trade, it continued the revamping of the organization that began last December with the trades of Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. The lefty-swinging Rutherford is rated as the No. 30 prospect in the game by MLB.com and No. 36 prospect by Baseball America. He’s hitting .281 with two homers, 30 RBIs and a .733 OPS in 71 at low Class-A. He’s a career .302 hitter in two minor league seasons. “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. A 22-year-old left-hander, Clarkin is 4-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 15 games at advanced Class-A, including 14 starts. He’s struck out 58 and walked 25 in 75 2/3 innings. Clippard, 32, has a 4.95 ERA in 40 appearances this season. He was presumably included in the deal to help offset salary, as he’s a free agent at season’s end. Polo, 22, is batting .298 with five homers, 36 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 72 games across two levels of the minor leagues. He was originally signed by the Pirates in 2012 as a non-drafted free agent. In contention but trailing the Red Sox by 3.5 games in the AL East entering play Tuesday, the Yankees were seeking upgrades at a handful of places and pulled that off. The 32-year-old Robertson has a 2.70 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 33 1/3 innings this season while striking out 47 batters and walking 11. He played for the Yankees from 2008-’14 before he signed with the White Sox in free agency. He’s under contract control through 2018. Frazier, 31, entered Tuesday hitting .207 with 16 homers and 44 RBIs in 81 games. After a slow start to the season, his OPS has climbed to .761. He’s in the final year of his contract. After a Kahle, 27, has a 2.50 ERA and 0.97 WHIP while striking out 60 batters and walking seven in 36 innings. Frazier was scratched from White Sox lineup just 40 minutes prior to first pitch against the Dodgers on Tuesday night. He had long been considered a trade chip once Chicago decided to rebuild. Last Thursday, the White Sox traded Quintana to the Cubs in a deal that sent four prospects back, including Jimenez and right-hander Dylan Cease, who’s considered a top-70 prospect by many. Outfielder Melky Cabrera is considered one of the remaining trade pieces for the White Sox as the July 31 non-waiver deadline looms.

Clayton Kershaw’s Brilliance Leads Dodgers To 1-0 Win Over White Sox By Associated Press | July 18, 2017 CHICAGO (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings for his major league-leading 15th victory and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Chicago White Sox, 1-0, on Tuesday night for their 10th straight victory. Kershaw (15-2) made his first start since the All-Star break, scattering seven hits and a walk to post his 11th win in a row.

The Dodgers, with the best record in baseball at 65-29, have won 30 of 34. This is the second 10-game winning streak of the season for the NL West leaders. Relievers Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen closed it out. Jansen survived a deep fly by Matt Davidson to record his 24th save in 24 chances. Chris Taylor had four hits and scored on rookie Cody Bellinger’s single in the first inning off Miguel Gonzalez (4-9). White Sox infielder Todd Frazier was pulled from the starting lineup amid speculation that he would be traded along with relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees. Kershaw had not pitched since going the distance in a 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on July 9, the final day before the All-Star break. Gonzalez (4-9) worked in and out of trouble throughout his six innings, allowing five hits and five walks but keeping Chicago in the game by inducing three of the Dodgers’ four double plays. Both teams struggled with runners in scoring position, with the Dodgers going 1 for 10 and the White Sox 1 for 8. Chicago’s best chance off Kershaw, who had not allowed more than six hits in a game since a no-decision on May 28, came in the the sixth. With runners on first and third and one out, Tyler Saladino bunted a safety squeeze attempt into the air for an easy play by catcher Yasmani Grandal, then Kershaw ended the rally by getting Yolmer Sanchez to ground out. Sanchez was a late addition to the lineup in place of Frazier, who was announced as a healthy scratch about 40 minutes before game time. The 31-year-old Frazier (.207, 16 home runs, 44 RBIs) is considered an obvious trade candidate for the rebuilding White Sox. He will become a free agent after the season. TRAINER’S ROOM Dodgers: Veteran left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (left foot contusion) will throw a four-inning simulated game on Wednesday then rejoin the Dodgers crowded rotation next week. “It could be Monday, it could be Tuesday,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He feels good but now we have to find a way to drop him in.” White Sox: INF/OF Leury Garcia (sprained finger) is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of days, according to White Sox manager Rick Renteria. He originally injured the finger on June 11 but wasn’t placed on the 10-day DL until June 20. UP NEXT Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (7-4, 4.38 ERA) and White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (1-2, 4.32 ERA) are set to start the series finale on Wednesday. Maeda made two relief appearances in June and could be battling to stay in the rotation. Rodon will make his fourth start since returning from the 60-day DL.

White Sox Promote Yoan Moncada To Big Leagues By CBS Chicago Staff | July 18, 2017 (CBS) The future is arriving for the White Sox. Chicago is calling up infielder Yoan Moncada, the top-ranked prospect in the game. General manager Rick Hahn made the announcement late Tuesday, shortly after the organization officially announced a seven-player trade with the Yankees, the latest massive move in the team’s rebuild. “We feel (Moncada) is ready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level,” Hahn said. Moncada is expected to be available when the White Sox host the Dodgers on Wednesday evening.

Moncada will likely play second base and third base. He’s batting .282 with 12 homers, 36 RBIs, 57 runs and a .377 on-base percentage in 80 games at Triple-A Charlotte this season. He was acquired from the Red Sox in the Chris Sale trade last December. A native of Cuba, Moncada is a career .285 hitter across three minor league seasons. He was Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2016, when he hit .294 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs, 94 runs and a .511 slugging percentage in 106 games across two levels in the Red Sox organization. He had a short stint with the Red Sox in the big leagues last season, hitting 4-of-19 in eight games. Additionally, the White Sox recalled right-hander Brad Goldberg from Triple-A as well. The 27-year-old Goldberg had a 2.58 ERA in 28 appearances at Triple-A. He made one appearance with the White Sox earlier this season, allowing four runs in 1/3 innings in his big league debut on June 3 at Detroit. Moncada’s promotion wasn’t the only big news of Tuesday evening for the White Sox, as they traded closer David Robertson, third baseman Todd Frazier and reliever Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees in return for four players, including 20-year-old outfielder Blake Rutherford, a first-round pick in 2016 and top-40 prospect.

Levine: White Sox Amass More Blue-Chip Talent In Trade With Yankees By Bruce Levine / CBS Chicago | July 19, 2017 CHICAGO (CBS) — The White Sox said goodbye to three important players for the present and hello to another key step of their organizational rebuild Tuesday evening. In yet another blockbuster deal, general manager Rick Hahn pulled off a seven-player trade with the Yankees, sending closer David Robertson, third baseman Todd Frazier and reliever Tommy Kahnle to New York. In return, the White Sox picked up three more prospects, including the prize of 20-year-old outfielder Blake Rutherford, a top-40 prospect in the game. Chicago also received big league reliever Tyler Clippard. The trade strips the White Sox of the back end of their bullpen and gives them a quality chance to land a top-three pick — or perhaps better — in the 2018 amateur draft, which is considered by many scouting directors to hold the best talent in years. Chicago currently has the third-worst record in MLB and has had its big league roster decimated by this deal and the trade of left-hander Jose Quintana to the Cubs last week. The White Sox have added 14 prospects in four big trades since early last December, when they kicked off their rebuild by dealing ace Chris Sale to the Red Sox. For these veterans going to the Yankees on Tuesday, they’ll have a chance to compete for a playoff-contending now and beyond. For the young players the White Sox acquired, their future is unlimited, with the team believing their window of contention will open in 2019 and beyond. The key to this deal was Rutherford, whom the Yankees selected in the first round in the 2016 draft. He has the high-end potential to be the impact player the White Sox have strived to obtain in their high-profile trades. The lefty-swinging Rutherford is rated as the No. 30 prospect in the game by MLB.com and No. 36 prospect by Baseball America. He’s hitting .281 with two homers, 30 RBIs and a .733 OPS in 71 at low Class-A. He’s a career .302 hitter in two minor league seasons. “Blake has a chance to stay in center field and not only provide us with a quality bat but also quality defense,”Hahn said. “We looked at — over the last few weeks — the best way to get the most impact for our players was to bundle them together. So I know this is a little surprising, considering what we had done over the last several months in terms of these individual trades, to see three players the caliber of Todd, Tommy and David all in the same deal. “In order to get the caliber of return that we started over the last several months, we felt this was the most prudent path to getting the most impactful talent in the organization.” The other two prospects acquired whom the White Sox have high hopes for are Class-A left-hander Ian Clarkin and Double-A outfielder Tito Polo. The 22-year-old Clarkin is 4-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 15 games at advanced Class-A, including 14 starts. He’s struck out 58 and walked 25 in 75 2/3 innings.

Clarkin has dealt with injuries since being drafted by the Yankees in 2013, though he’s been injury-free this season. “Clarkin has had some injury troubles along the way,” Hahn said. “Hopefully those problems are behind him. He has command of three pitches, he knows how to locate and is an interesting guy who I look forward to having in the organization to work with our coaches.” Polo, 22, is batting .298 with five homers, 36 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 72 games across two levels of the minor leagues. He was originally signed by the Pirates in 2012 as a non-drafted free agent. Polo is lauded for his speed who has quality range defensively. “Tito is a guy who has gotten off to a torrid start in center field,” Hahn said. “He can run a little bit and can swing it.” As for Clippard, he was a pawn for salary purposes in this trade. He could be flipped in the next 13 days by the White Sox to another contender looking for a veteran bullpen arm, though he’s struggled with a 4.95 ERA this season. The White Sox further clearing their deck helped pave the way for the other big news of late Tuesday: infielder Yoan Moncada, the top prospect in the game, is being promoted to the big leagues. He’s expected to make his White Sox debut when they host the Dodgers on Wednesday evening. Moncada will be the team’s everyday second baseman — starting now. “We are not bringing Yoan here to sit,” Hahn said. “We are bringing him here to continue the development that needs to take place in Chicago. He still has some work to do. He is still very young. We feel he is ready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level. Again, there will be growing pains here. He is not a finished product. It is time for him to take that next step.”

Yoan Moncada’s Debut With White Sox The Next Stage In Development By Chris Emma / CBS Chicago | July 19, 2017 CHICAGO (CBS) — Yoan Moncada, the top prospect in baseball, will arrive on the south side Wednesday for his anticipated debut in a White Sox uniform. General manager Rick Hahn joked late Tuesday night that he buried the lede by first unveiling the major trade between his White Sox and Yankees while leaving out the important detail. But you can excuse the architect of a rebuild that now has 10 of the top 68 prospects in baseball, according to MLB.com. The 22-year-old Moncada is the best of the bunch. He is considered to be a five-tool talent and should spend the remainder of this 2017 season establishing himself at second base. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in a scouting report last September that Moncada has “tools so deafeningly loud that it may be a while before we hear the echoes of his historical significance.” Three months after that major league debut with the Red Sox, he was traded to the White Sox in a blockbuster deal for Chris Sale. Naturally, Hahn isn’t speaking in grandiose terms to project Moncada’s future with the White Sox. That belief is well known, stated clearly in a trade that brought the top prospect in baseball and AL Cy Young frontrunner to different cities in the same deal. Trades like this don’t happen too often. The White Sox were prepared to embark on their rebuild, and the Red Sox were looking for an elite arm for their rotation. The swap — one which also included the flame-throwing Michael Kopech and two others — transformed the future of the White Sox and present of the Red Sox. A key part of that White Sox future is set to arrive on Wednesday with Moncada certain to be slotted starting at second base against the Dodgers. “We’re bringing him here to continue the development that needs to take place in Chicago,” Hahn said. “He still has some work to do. He’s still very young. But we feel he’s ready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level.” Moncada is hitting .282 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs this season in 80 games this season with Triple-A Charlotte. He missed time earlier in 2017 with a thumb injury and struggled coming off the disabled list. However, Moncada has again looked like himself.

While Hahn and other executives in baseball refrain from making comparisons, scouts have viewed Moncada as a talent that compares to Robinson Cano. His presence with the White Sox could be transformational. He’s joining quite the cast, too. The White Sox added outfielder Blake Rutherford in Tuesday’s trade with the Yankees that sent Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to New York. Rutherford is the 30th-ranked prospect on MLB.com, joining the likes of Moncada, Kopech, Luis Robert, Lucas Giolito, Reyaldo Lopez and more. The list has continued to grow as the White Sox keep stockpiling young talents. While this 2017 season heads closer to the top overall draft pick next spring, all eyes will be on Moncada. There will surely be a buzz within the ballpark as the future of this White Sox organization steps foot on the field for the first time. More names will be coming, too. This is only the beginning. But temper that excitement with an important reminder from Hahn. This is just part of the development process for Moncada. “There’s going to be growing pains here,” Hahn said. “He’s not a finished product. I don’t suspect any of these players, as they make their debut here in the coming months and years — despite how highly anticipated they may be — there’s still going to be an element of development that comes here in Chicago. It’s time for Yoan to get that opportunity to take that next step.”

Todd Frazier traded to Yankees as White Sox get top prospects By Ron Clements / Sporting News | July 19, 2017 Todd Frazier is on the move, but has not been shipped up to Boston as many believed he would. Instead the rival Yankees have acquired the All-Star third baseman from the White Sox, who are also sending pitchers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson to New York. Bruce Levine of Chicago radio station 670 The Score was the first to report the pending deal, which was announced after the White Sox and Yankees completed their respective games on Tuesday. Robertson, 32, spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Yankees and was an All-Star in 2011. The White Sox will get reliever Tyler Clippard and three prospects in return, including outfielder Blake Rutherford, the Yankees' No. 3 prospect, as Chicago continues its impressive rebuild. Also included in the deal is pitcher Ian Clarkin, who like Rutherford was a first-round pick of the Yankees. The fourth player going to the Sox is outfielder Tito Polo. Following the trade, the White Sox now possess 10 of baseball's top 100 prospects, which is the most among MLB clubs. "We made the determination that bundling these three players together was the best way to maximize our return on any transaction," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters. "We appreciate everything that Todd, Tommy and David have done and we wish them and their families all the best with the Yankees." The White Sox will also call up top prospect Yoan Moncada from Triple-A Charlotte, as well as pitcher Brad Goldberg. Frazier, a New Jersey native who was an All-Star for the Reds in 2014 and 2015 and won the Home Run Derby in 2015, is hitting just .207 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs for the White Sox this season. Traded to the White Sox in December of 2015, Frazier has yet to find his groove in the American League. He hit just .225 in his first season with the White Sox, but did blast 40 homers and drive in 98 runs. He was a healthy scratch from Tuesday's game against the Dodgers. Chase Headley was the starting third baseman for the Yankees in Tuesday's game in Minnesota. Headley is a versatile player and could be moved around as Frazier settles in as the full-time starter at the hot corner, a position the Red Sox are looking to add help at before the deadline.

Yankees cash in for postseason run as White Sox accrue more top prospects in trade By Jon Tayler / Sports Illustrated | July 19, 2017 The Yankees are going all in. On Tuesday night, New York made a big move to try to bolster its hopes for an AL East title and World Series berth, picking up third baseman Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox for reliever Tyler Clippard and a trio of prospects, led by former first-round pick Blake Rutherford. It’s an aggressive acquisition by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, though the Bronx Bombers still have work to do if they want to stay in contention.

The best non-Astros team in the American League as recently as the beginning of June, the Yankees have gone just 18–24 since then, falling out of first place in the division. A large part of that slump had to do with the bullpen, which going into Tuesday’s action had posted a 4.02 ERA since June 1. Clippard was absolutely abysmal over that stretch, with 16 runs and five homers allowed in 14 1/3 innings, so getting rid of him is essentially addition by subtraction. But setup man Dellin Betances (17 walks, 6.23 ERA in 13 innings since June 1) and closer Aroldis Chapman (six runs allowed and two blown saves in 10 innings since coming off the disabled list on June 18) have been shaky, making late-game situations a dicey proposal for manager Joe Girardi. With Robertson and Kahnle in the fold, getting through those final innings should be far easier. Robertson is a known quantity for the Yankees, who drafted the righthander in 2006 and turned him into an elite setup option and, in their first post-Mariano Rivera season, a top-flight closer. Robertson doesn’t throw hard, averaging a relatively light 92 mph on his four-seam fastball, but the 32-year-old Alabama product uses a darting changeup and hard curveball to keep opponents off balance and rack up strikeouts. Among all relievers with 150 innings or more since the start of 2015, Robertson’s 11.8 strikeout-per-nine rate is seventh best. Kahnle is also a former Yankees product, though his road to becoming a relief ace has been far longer. A fifth-round pick by New York in 2010, the righty was lost to the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft in ’13, spent two uneventful years as a league-average arm in Colorado’s bullpen, then was designated for assignment after the ‘15 season and traded to the White Sox. His first season in Chicago saw him ride the Triple A shuttle for the first half of the season due to his horrible control (20 walks in just 27 1/3 innings), but his power fastball (he averages a staggering 97.9 mph on his four-seamer) made him an intriguing project. This season, Kahnle has gone from question mark to crucial bullpen piece. With newfound control and a dramatic increase in his swinging-strike rate, Kahnle is punching out a ridiculous 15 batters per nine. He’s been absolute murder on righthanders, holding same-siders to a .165/.183/.316 line on the season. And best of all for the Yankees, the 27-year-old is under team control for another three seasons; next year will be his first of arbitration eligibility. Robertson is the bigger name, but Kahnle is arguably the better reliever. He’s a savvy addition by Cashman and the most likely to have an outsize impact on a beleaguered Yankees bullpen. But that’s not all for New York. The third piece of the deal is perhaps its most well known: Frazier, the 2015 Home Run Derby champion. A native of Toms River, N.J. (and noted Derek Jeter fan), Frazier was a two-time All-Star for the Reds before being shipped to the White Sox in a three-team deal in 2015. But the move to the South Side was mixed for Frazier, who still hits for plenty of power (56 homers in 239 games with the White Sox) but has seen his rate stats slip since leaving the Queen City. At this point in his career, the 31-year-old Frazier isn’t quite a one-tool player, but he doesn’t offer much to a lineup beyond home runs—and, troublingly, his slugging percentage and isolated power are both in decline for a third straight year. Defensively, he’s average at best at the hot corner, and he’s an indifferent base runner to boot. He’s still a moderately valuable player—his 1.8 Wins Above Replacement on the season puts him on par with Jose Abreu, Dustin Pedroia and Daniel Murphy—but he’s not a difference maker for a lineup. For the Yankees, though, Frazier doesn’t need to be a savior. Incumbent third baseman Chase Headley, while still strong with the glove, is amid a third consecutive season of sub-par offense: He’s contributed a paltry .258/.341/.371 line and just four homers in 340 plate appearances so far. And while it’s unlikely that Frazier will take Headley’s job outright, he would make for a valuable platoon partner; Headley has just a .534 OPS against southpaws on the season, as compared to Frazier’s .818 mark versus lefties. Frazier also immediately becomes the Yankees’ best option at first base, which has been a total disaster all season long. With Greg Bird likely done for the season following foot surgery and Chris Carter dumped at the All-Star break, New York has been forced to make due with minor league castoffs Ji-Man Choi and Garrett Cooper at the position. All told, Yankees first basemen have a .686 OPS on the year, the second-worst mark in the AL. Just about anything Frazier does, should he see time at first, would be an upgrade on that. To upgrade the bullpen and add a corner infield bat, though, cost the Yankees plenty in the form of Rutherford, lefty starting pitching prospect Ian Clarkin and speedy Colombian outfielder Tito Polo. Rutherford is the big prize: The 20-year-old outfielder was the No. 18 pick of last year’s draft out of a southern California high school and a global top-50 prospect, topping out at No. 37 on MLB.com’s preseason list after raking in rookie ball. Class A ball hasn’t been as kind to him, though Rutherford is holding his own despite being nearly two years younger than the competition; his combination of tools and results landed him the No. 36 spot on Baseball America’s midseason top 100 list. Fixing A Hole: Assessing trade needs for division leaders, and who would make sense

Rutherford is an advanced hitter for his age, though the Yankees’ system is deep and crowded: Along with top prospect Clint Frazier (acquired in last summer’s Andrew Miller deal and currently in the majors), New York also has 19-year-old Haitian outfielder Estevan Florial tearing up the South Atlantic League, making Rutherford expendable. So was Clarkin, another former first-round pick who has seen his stock diminished by injuries that have kept him from climbing the minor league ladder. The 22-year-old southpaw is pitching well for Class A Tampa, but his low strikeout rate (7.1 per nine) and struggles with control (3.1 walks per nine) suggest his ceiling may no longer be all that high. Regardless, Clarkin is a worthwhile piece for the rebuilding White Sox to gamble on, and Rutherford gives them yet another highly touted piece for a system that has skyrocketed to the top of the league’s rankings. On top of the Eloy Jimenez-led haul received from the Cubs for Jose Quintana last week, Chicago now boasts eight of BA’s midseason top 100, including No. 1 overall prospect Yoan Moncada, who will be called up to the big leagues on Wednesday morning. The future is blindingly bright on the South Side, and this trade is yet another nice addition to Chicago’s rebuild by team president Rick Hahn, who acquired three high-upside players in exchange for a pair of relievers and a league-average hitter who was set to be a free agent at season’s end anyway. The Yankees’ rebuild, meanwhile, is over: Just a year after Cashman flipped veteran pieces for prospects, New York has emerged as a serious buyer at the deadline. What’s left to address, though, is a rotation that still feels one piece short thanks to the loss of Michael Pineda to Tommy John surgery. Robertson and Kahnle will help shorten what’s needed of the starters and turn every Yankees game into a six-inning affair, assuming Betances and Chapman can get right. But a third high-caliber arm behind All-Star Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka would help take the Yankees from contender to a serious World Series threat in the AL. New York isn’t in win-now mode and won’t mortgage its future for that starting rotation piece. But the long-term presence of Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Severino and Frazier, to say nothing of the prospects behind them, has made the idea of going for it all the more appealing: Even if this summer’s deals don’t work out, the Yankees remain a young franchise with plenty to look forward to in the future. It’s not World Series or bust in the Bronx, but Tuesday night’s deal suggests that Cashman and company think a title is realistically within reach.

Yankees get Frazier, Robertson, Kahnle from White Sox By Associated Press | July 19, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The New York Yankees made an early push for playoff run Tuesday night, acquiring infielder Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox for reliever Tyler Clippard and three prospects. The Yankees currently hold the second AL wild-card spot. They're close to the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox. "It should tell them, 'Hey, we're in this,' and we need to continue to play and play hard and play better than we've done," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after a 6-3 victory in Minnesota. "But it should be a pick-me-up in there in a sense, like, 'Hey, there's a lot of people who believe in this club.'" As the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline nears, the last-place White Sox made their second big trade in a week. Last Thursday, they sent ace Jose Quintana to the crosstown Cubs for four minor leaguers. Along with Clippard, the White Sox got left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin and outfielders Blake Rutherford and Tito Polo. They also announced top prospect Yoan Moncada would be called up for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. "Over the last few weeks we spent a considerable amount of time surveying the market for each of these players individually and decided the more prudent path to acquiring more talent similar to what we have over the last several months, the best path to acquiring the most potential impact talent, was to bundle these players together," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. Frazier was a two-time All-Star with Cincinnati, but he's in a down year. He could play first base, a position the Yankees have struggled to stabilize all season, or remain at third base and move Chase Headley from one corner to the other. The 31-year-old Frazier, who grew up in New Jersey as a Yankees fan, was pulled from the starting lineup shortly before the White Sox hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. He spent the early part of the game in the dugout talking with Robertson. Frazier is hitting .207 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs. Last year, he set career highs with 40 homers and 98 RBIs. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

"It has been fun in Chicago, but I'm also excited to see what's in store for me in New York," Frazier said. "It's pretty cool. It is kind of surreal right now because it all happened at once. You hear the rumors. It could have been a different team here and there. It's the Yankees, so I'm pretty excited." With the Yankees playing the Twins on Wednesday afternoon, it was uncertain whether the new arrivals would make it in time for the game. What's certain, though, is that Clippard won't be wearing pinstripes anymore. Drafted by the Yankees in 2003 and reacquired in a deadline trade last summer with Arizona, Clippard was 1-5 with a 4.95 ERA in 40 games. The 32-year-old right-hander hit a rough patch in mid-June that lasted into the All-Star break. This is the fourth time he's been traded in less than three seasons. "From a lifestyle standpoint, it's getting kind of frustrating," Clippard said. "And from a team standpoint, I love these guys. I love this organization. We're playing well, and we're in the thick of things. To leave is gut-wrenching for me. But it is what it is, and there's nothing as players that we can do about it." He'll be replaced by the righty Robertson, who's eagerly returning to his original team. The 32-year-old is 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA, successful on 13 of 14 save chances. He broke with the Yankees in 2008 and had 39 saves in 2014, before becoming a free agent and signing a four-year contract with the White Sox. Though All-Star setup man Dellin Betances has struggled lately, adding Robertson and Kahnle to the mix with right-hander Adam Warren as bridges to ace closer Aroldis Chapman ought to be a big boost down the stretch for a team with a thin rotation. Kahnle, a 27-year-old righty, was 1-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 37 games, covering 36 innings. He's struck out 60 and walked only seven. "You're talking about a lot of hard throwers. Guys with strikeouts. A guy needs a day off, really, anyone can move into a spot," Girardi said. The 20-year-old Rutherford was hitting .281 with 30 RBIs and 25 stolen bases at Class A Charleston to make the South Atlantic League All-Star team. He was a first-round draft pick last year. Clarkin, a 22-year-old lefty, was 4-4 with a 2.61 ERA as a starter at Class A Tampa. The 22-year-old Polo was hitting a combined .307 with 22 steals at Tampa and Double-A Trenton. Moncada, a 22-year-old infielder, was acquired from the Red Sox for ace Chris Sale in the offseason and is hitting .282 with 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 17 stolen bases at Triple-A Charlotte. Boston spent $63 million — including a record $31.5 million bonus — to sign Moncada in 2015 after he left Cuba. He was recently named the top prospect in the game by Baseball America.