While the blockbuster deal between the Yankees and Chicago White Sox wasn’t officially announced until after midnight on the east coast Wednesday, Todd Frazier knew something was up hours beforehand.Â
During Chicago’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday night, the 31-year-old corner infielder, who was marked as a healthy scratch from the lineup, gave his goodbyes in the dugout. Initially, reports led most to believe that Frazier was packing his bags for Boston, but by the late evening, he and his teammates David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle learned that they’d soon be donning a new set of pinstriped uniforms.Â
“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, a Toms River, N.J. native told reporters following Chicago’s 1-0 loss. “But it’s the Yankees so I’m pretty excited.
“It’s very difficult. 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.”
As for Robertson, who once worked as a pivotal piece in the Yankees’ bullpen from 2008-14, the news didn’t come as quickly for him as it did for his teammate.Â
“I found out probably 20 minutes ago,” Robertson told reporters after the game. “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.”
The third piece of the package, reliever Tommy Kahnle, also has some ties to the Yankees’ organization. The 27-year-old was selected by New York in the fifth round of the amateur draft back in 2010, but he never saw the Bronx, as he was selected again in the Rule-5 Draft in 2014.
While Frazier is only under contract for the remainder of this season and Robertson is eligible for free agency after the 2018 campaign, Kahnle — a N.Y. state native — will be close to home for a while, as he’s arbitration eligible until 2021.
“This season’s been pretty wild,” said Kahnle, whose numbers haven’t been wild, as he owns a 2.50 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 36 innings this season. “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 going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
Yankees manager Joe Girardi knew a possible trade was in the works about an hour before first pitch against the Twins, when at that time he had a conversation with general manager Brian Cashman. Cashman, who coined the team as “careful buyers” this July, yielded three prospects in the deal, headlined by 20-year-old outfielder Blake Rutherford, who was ranked as the club’s No. 3 farmhand, per MLBPipeline.
Although sacrifice is the nature of the beast, Girardi realizes how impactful the newly acquired trio could be in New York.
“They could mean a lot,” Girardi told YES Network following the team’s 6-3 win over Minnesota. “You’re talking about two guys that have a lot of strikeout ability. David Robertson’s a guy that’s obviously a closer, with a ton of experience and his pitched in New York. Todd Frazier, the guy hits a lot of home runs. So I mean, it could mean a lot.”
The Yankees (48-44) are currently in third place in the American League East standings, and trail Boston by three and a half games for first and Tampa Bay by one and a half games for second.Â
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