Buster Olney of ESPN is reporting that the Yankees have agreed to deal Scott Proctor to the Dodgers for infielder Wilson Betemit. This trade has been brewing for quite a long time. Before the Braves sent Betemit to L.A. last season Brian Cashman was interested in making this exact trade. 12 months later and he finally has his man.
Proctor has pitched 54 and a third innings this season, fourth most in the American League, and racked up 102 innings in 2006. The workload has contributed to a decreased effectiveness and while the Yankees may still have needs in the bullpen they've likely gotten the best out of Proctor. Betemit is no great shakes, .231 with 10 homers this year, but he can back up around the infield and should see some time at first base. He's an upgrade from the Chris Basak/Kevin Thompson class of players that have seen time at the end of the bench this season for the Bombers.
You might wonder if trading a reliever means the Yankees are close to sealing a deal for Eric Gagne but that seems unlikely. Ken Rosenthal of Fox is reporting that he'll either be heading to Flushing, Fenway or Milwaukee if he goes anywhere at all. Staying put looks like the best bet. I'm hoping that dealing Proctor doesn't mean that Kyle Farnsworth will remain with the Yankees. They've gotten Betemit to help out the big league club and I think they should get whoever might be on the table for Farnsworth. Joba Chamberlain is a better option going forward than either Proctor or Farnsworth and the team doesn't need a whiny malcontent in the bullpen even if Farnsworth can still dial up impressive velocity.
The Red Sox did make one trade so far today although it's not really a wave-maker. They dealt the designated for assignment Joel Piniero to St. Louis for a player to be named later. Hard to see how much difference that makes for either team but then no one thought Jeff Weaver would be the biggest acquisition by last year's World Champion.
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