This is a trade that will likely help both teams.  The Yankees will now need to depend on Kyle Fransworth and Luis Vizcaino more without the durable Scott Proctor around but they felt the Betemit was worth that price.  Betemit can handle playing second base, shortstop and third base defensively but it seems like the Yankees might try him out at first base which is where they might need some help.  Betemit is a 25-year old switch hitter who has decent power.  He has played in 84 games this season for the Dodgers and he was 36 for 156 (.231 avg, .833 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 10 homers and 26 RBIs.  Over his young major league career he has played in 372 games and he is 217 for 825 (.263 avg, .779 OPS) with 110 runs scored, 32 homers and 102 RBIs. 

Proctor was 2-5 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP in 52 games this season for the Yankees.  Proctor has thrown 54.1 innings this season and he has allowed 53 hits, walked 29 batters and whiffed 37.  Proctor finishes his Yankees career with a 11-10 record, 1 save, a 4.29 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.  In 226.1 innings with the Yanks Proctor allowed 217 hits, walked 93 batters and whiffed 183.

The Yankees have decided that they’ve seen enough of Kei Igawa so they have sent him to AAA.  Igawa has pitched in 12 games (11 starts) for the Yankees this season and he was 2-3 with a 6.79 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.  In 62.1 innings this season Igawa has allowed 73 hits, 15 homers, walked 32 batters and whiffed 51.  The Yanks have recalled infielder Chris Basak to take Igawa’s spot on the roster until they need another starting pitcher.  Basak has played in 4 games for the Yanks this season and he is 0 for 1 (.000 avg).  He has played in 70 games in AAA ball this season and he is 68 for 261 (.261 avg, .727 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 6 homers, 30 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.  When the Yanks need another starter they will likely send Chris Basak back to AAA and recall Phil Hughes off of his rehab assignment.  Hughes has started 2 games this season for the Yanks and he is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.  He has thrown 10.2 innings for the Yanks this season and he has allowed 7 hits, walked 4 batters and whiffed 11.

The Yankees have signed relief pitcher Scott Williamson to a minor league contract.  He will be sent to the minors and he will have to earn his way back to the majors.  He pitched in 16 games this season for the Orioles and he was 1-0 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  In 14.1 innings he has allowed 12 hits, walked 8 batters and whiffed 16.  Williamson has a good arm as evidenced by his career record of 28-28 with 55 saves, a 3.36 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in 344 games.  He can help the Yankees if he can just stay healthy.

The Yankees have acquired catcher Jose Molina from the Angels for 25 year old reliever Jeff Kennard.  Molina will take over as the backup catcher from Wil Nieves which will allow the Yanks to give Jorge Posada a little more rest in the 2nd half of the season.  Molina has played in 40 games this season and he is 28 for 125 (.224 avg, .512 OPS) with 9 runs scored and 10 RBIs.  Molina has never been a good offensive player but he has a rocket attached to his right shoulder which is why the Yanks wanted him.  He has now played in 373 games over his major league career and he is 232 for 977 (.237 avg, .614 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 15 homers and 98 RBIs. 

Wil Nieves will likely lose his major league job because of the acquisition of Molina.  Nieves has played in 26 games for the Yanks this season as he is only 10 for 61 (.164 avg, .420 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 8 RBIs.

Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Mussina, Luis Vizcaino and Kei Igawa have all been pretty bad this season.  The Yankees really need Mike Mussina to get it going in the right direction or the Yanks are in deep trouble.  Mussina is 4-6 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP so far this season.  Mussina is getting hurt by the gopher ball this season as he has allowed 10 homers in 78 innings as it seems like a lot of his pitches are staying up too high.  The Yanks would love to get rid of Kyle Farnsworth who has been running his mouth despite pitching like crap.   Farnsworth still has an electric arm but he has not converted it into success on the mound.  He is 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP so far this season.  Luis Vizcaino has been really awful this season for the Yanks who don’t use him in important part of the games anymore.  He is 4-2 with a 5.02 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP so far this season.  He has walked an amazing 31 batters in only 43 innings so far this season and that just won’t get it done.  On to the worst Yankee pitcher in recent history…..Kei Igawa.  Igawa was signed as a knee jerk reaction to the Red Sox signing Daisuke Matsuzaka and it was a HUGE mistake.  Igawa makes Hideki Irabu look like CY YOUNG.  Igawa is 2-2 with a 7.14 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP so far this season.  The Yanks have to be calling around the league for a starting pitcher to replace Igawa who will go down as one of the worst Yankees of ALL TIME!

Brian Bruney, Mike Myers, Chien-Ming Wang and Roger Clemens all pitched pretty well in the first half.  Wang has been the best starting pitcher on the Yankees this season.  Wang is 9-4 with a 3.36 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP so far this season.  Look for Wang to finish strong as he is the main building block of the Yankees pitching staff in the future.  Roger Clemens looked rusty early in the season but he’s been good lately.  Clemens in 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP so far this season.  Look for Clemens to have a good second half as he still has outstanding stuff.  Brian Bruney is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP this season.  If Bruney can just harnass his control he would be a dominant reliever.  He has walked 25 batters in 35 innings this season and that will need to change.  Lefty Mike Myers has been a little bit more than a lefty specialist this season.  Myers is 0-0 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP so far this season.

Right here are the guys most reponsible for the Yankees bad half of the season.  Johnny Damon has been gimpy all season long but he has refused to go on the DL and get better and it has effected his play on the field.  He is only hitting .245 with 44 runs scored, 5 homers, 27 RBIs and 15 stolen bases this season.  The Yankees need Johnny Damon to produce to make the offense click on all cylinders.  Bobby Abreu has been a complete bust this season both in the field and with a bat in his hands.  Abreu is only hitting .264 with 59 runs scored, 5 homers, 41 RBIs and 12 stolen bases this season.  The Yankees would love to trade Abreu because he’s not the guy the that they thought they were getting.   Jason Giambi (.262, 7 HRs, 23 RBIs) and Doug Mientkiewicz (.226, 4 HRs, 16 RBIs) both have been injured and it has hurt the Yankees….Giambi because of his bat and Mientkiewicz with the mitt.  Backup catcher Wil Nieves has been pathetic this season and that’s why Posada will wear out late in the season.  The Yanks need a new backup to Posada because Nieves is only 6 for 50 (.120 avg) with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs.

Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are the only Yankees players that have been good all season long.  Alex Rodriguez has passed Derek Jeter up as the best player on the Yankees and that can’t be debated.  A-Rod finished the first half of the season with a .317 avg, 79 runs scored, 30 homers, 86 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.  Derek Jeter has also had an outstanding season as he is hitting .336 with 57 runs scored, 5 homers, 44 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Look for Jeter and A-Rod to have big 2nd halves.  It will be harder for Jorge Posada to maintain his current level of hitting because catchers can some times wear down in the 2nd half because of the physical nature of their job.  He has been amazing in the first half as he hit .326 with 46 runs scored, 9 homers and 48 RBIs.

The Yankees finished the first half with a 42-43 record which has them tied for 2nd place 10 games behind the Red Sox.  The Yanks big problem is the A.L. East teams have been beating up on them as they are only 8-17 against them.  That’s bad news for the Yankees with today’s heavily weighted division schedules.  The Yanks have suffered some key injuries this season and Johnny Damon has been gimpy all season long and it’s been hard for them overcome that even with their $200+ million dollar payroll.  The Yankees are also 8.5 games behind the Indians for the American League East which is hard to believe.  What’s harder to believe than that is that the Yankees could be sellers at the trading deadline if they don’t turn things around in the next couple of weeks.  And it will be hard for them to move a lot of their players because most of them are grossly overpaid.

The Yankees have signed 32-year old lefty swinging Erubiel Durazo to a minor league contract.  Durazo has been playing in the Mexican League (AAA) and he has been playing well.  He has played in 45 games this season and he is 56 for 158 (.354 avg, 1.028 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 9 homers and 42 RBIs.  Durazo has been kind of black balled in the majors lately as he hasn’t appeared in a game since 2005 despite being a good major league hitter.  He has played in 624 major league games in his career and he is 547 for 1,948 (.281 avg, .868 OPS) with 333 runs scored, 94 homers and 330 RBIs.  This was a nice low risk/high reward signing by the Yankees.