New York Yankees: Judging the Trades, 2006-07 Edition

In the third part of a multi-part series, we look at the trades the Yankees made starting from the 2005 offseason until the 2007 regular season. Trades are assessed not only on how each player fared on their successive teams (be it the Yankees or the team they are traded to), but also on any future deals those players were a part of.

Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit, 7/31/07

New York moved Proctor to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Betemit in a swap to bolster the Yankees’ bench and the Dodgers’ bullpen. 

Proctor returned to his original team in the trade for Betemit; Los Angeles selected him in the fifth round of the 1998 MLB draft, and New York acquired him in a 2003 trade deal with Bubba Crosby for Robin Ventura. He broke into the majors with New York in 2004. Proctor was an oft-used late game reliever in his time in the Bronx.

In his first two seasons in New York, Proctor was 3-1 with a 5.81 ERA in 55 games, but his workload exploded during the 2006 season. Yankees manager Joe Torre used Proctor in an AL-leading 83 games, in which he was 6-4 with a 3.52 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 102.1 innings.

Before the trade, Proctor had a 2-5 record and 3.81 ERA through 52 games as a Yankee. He was moved to the Dodgers to function as a setup man in front of Japanese import Takashi Saito, which he did with great success—a career-low 3.38 ERA and 3-0 record in 31 appearances to finish the season.

Injuries derailed his 2008 season; although he finished the year with a 2-0 record, his ERA jumped to a career-high 6.05 in 41 games. Proctor was released after the season, missed all of the 2009 season after signing with the Florida Marlins, and spent a season and a half with the Atlanta Braves before he was picked up on waivers by the Yankees. Proctor has signed with the KBO’s Doosan Bears for the 2012 season.

Betemit, a utility man, was acquired by Los Angeles in a deadline deal with the Braves almost exactly a year earlier. Betemit almost exclusively played third base in his short time in Los Angeles, batting .236 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs in 139 games between 2006 and 2007.

New York used Betemit as a true utility man, and he saw playing time at all four infield positions and the corner outfield spots. Offensively, Betemit hit for better average in his 124 games as a Yankee—.253 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs, but his on base percentage dropped from .332 with the Dodgers to .286 with the Yankees. 

New York included the utilityman in a trade to the White Sox for Nick Swisher after the 2008 season, but he lasted just 20 games in Chicago. He played all of 2010 with the Kansas City Royals and began 2011 with Kansas City, but was traded to the Detroit Tigers in July. Betemit signed with the Baltimore Orioles for the 2012 season.
Verdict: NYY

Jeff Kennard for Jose Molina, 7/21/07

New York swapped minor league reliever Kennard for the Los Angeles Angels’ longtime backup catcher Molina before the 2007 trade deadline.

A light-hitting catcher known for his defensive prowess, Molina had long been the backup for brother Bengie in his Angels tenure. He was thrown into a three-way tie for the starting catcher spot in 2007, after Bengie moved on to the Blue Jays. He split time with Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis as Los Angeles’s backstop, batting .224 with 10 RBIs in 40 games before the trade.

New York acquired Molina to be Jorge Posada’s backup, replacing Wil Nieves, who had batted .164 as the backup catcher. Molina hit much better for the Yankees–.318 with a home run and nine RBIs in 29 games–and New York rewarded him with a two-year deal to return as backup catcher.

In 2008, he played in a career-high 100 games–the only time in his 12-year career he has played 100 games or more. Molina started the year as Posada’s backup catcher, but after Posada suffered a season-ending injury, he was thrust into the starting role. He ended up sharing that spot with Ivan Rodriguez, who was never able to wrest the position away from Molina fully. Molina batted .216 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. One of his home runs made history as the last home run in old Yankee Stadium.

He returned to his role behind Posada in 2009; in 52 regular season games, Molina batted .217 with one home run and 11 RBIs. He played five games in the postseason, with his biggest impact coming on a fourth-inning pickoff of Jayson Werth in Game Two of the World Series. New York released him after the season, and he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He moved on to the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2012 season.

Kennard was a 40th round draft pick by the Yankees in 2000. From 2001 to 2007, Kennard rose from the rookie league Yankees to Double-A Trenton. Before the trade Kennard had a 2.73 ERA through 52.2 innings, but it skyrocketed to 5.12 in 19.1 innings with Los Angeles’s Double-A affiliate. He didn’t fare any better in 2008, with his ERA climbing to 6.25 in 63.1 total innings between Double-A and Triple-A. 

He was released by the Angels after the 2008 season, signing with the Cincinnati Reds for the 2009 season, which he spent with their Triple-A affiliate. The Chicago Cubs gave him a minor league deal before spring training in 2010, but he was cut and has since spent the last two seasons with the Atlantic League’s Somerset Patriots.
Verdict: NYY

Randy Johnson for Alberto Gonzalez and Luis Vizcaino, 1/9/07

After two seasons in New York, the Randy Johnson experiment came to end as Johnson was returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks for infielder Gonzalez, reliever Vizcaino, and pitching prospects Steven Jackson and Ross Ohlendorf. Arizona had dealt Johnson to the Yankees before the 2005 season. While the primary reason for Johnson’s departure was the death of his brother, New York was probably happy to offload Johnson after a dismal, injury-curtailed 2006 campaign.

Despite a 17-11 record, Johnson’s ERA climbed to 5.00 (which was the highest mark in his career, highest mark since his rookie season in 1989, and remained the highest mark in his career despite playing three more seasons) and his strikeouts dropped to 172 (his lowest full season total since 1990).

After a herniated disc in his back caused his struggles in 2006, he had surgery to fix the disc and spent April rehabbing from the surgery. He briefly returned, but he had season-ending surgery to remove the disc in July. In 10 starts in 2007, Johnson was 4-3 with a 3.81ERA. He returned to the Diamondbacks in 2008, going 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He moved on to the San Francisco Giants in 2009, where he picked up his 300th win and finished his illustrious career.

Gonzalez was a Venezuelan-born infielding prospect who had just reached Triple-A as the 2006 season ended. He began 2007 with Triple-A Scranton, but he was sent down for a 28-game spell with Double-A Trenton after struggling initially. A pick-up in his play earned him a September call-up to the Yankees.

He played 12 games for the Yankees in 2007, mostly as a late game defensive replacement. In 15 plate appearances he batted .071 with an RBI. Gonzalez would start the 2008 season as New York’s backup infielder, appearing in 28 games before a mid-season trade to the Nationals. In 58 plate appearances, he hit .173 with two doubles and an RBI. Gonzalez spent the better part of three seasons as a utility infielder for the Nationals before a trade to the San Diego Padres. He’s now a member of the Texas Rangers.

Jackson was a 10th round draft pick by the Diamondbacks in 2004. A pitcher from Clemson, Jackson was 8-11 with a 2.65 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 24 starts at Arizona’s Double-A affiliate in 2006. New York’s minor league teams used him in a reliever-starter dual role, which he filled for two seasons before New York designated him for assignment in May of 2009.

Pittsburgh claimed Jackson off waivers and he would make his major league debut less than a month later, on June 1. In 51 games for Pittsburgh between 2009 and 2010, Jackson went 2-4 in 40 appearances, with a 4.31 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 54.1 innings.

Pittsburgh released him before the 2011 season and he signed with the Dodgers. After bouncing from the Dodgers’ to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, he returned to the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate to finish the season. He’ll start 2012 in Pittsburgh’s minor league training camp.

Ohlendorf, like Gonzalez, reached Triple-A just at the end of the 2006 season, making one stellar start with Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate to close the year. After spending the majority of the 2007 season with Scranton, he would make his MLB debut as a September call-up.

In six appearances, Ohlendorf struck out nine in 6.1 innings, with an ERA of 2.84. Ohlendorf made 25 appearances for New York in 2008, going 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA before a mid-season trade to the Pirates with three other prospects for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. After three-plus seasons of mixed results in Pittsburgh, he was released after the season. He recently signed with the Boston Red Sox on a minor league deal.

Vizcaino was a veteran reliever at the time of the trade; after spending the first six years of his MLB career with two clubs, he had jumped from Chicago in 2005 to Arizona in 2006 to New York in 2007. In 70 appearances for Arizona, Vizcaino was 4-6 with a 3.58 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.

Vizcaino ran up a career-best 8-2 record in 77 appearances for the Yankees in 2007, but his ERA climbed to 4.30 and his strikeouts dropped to 62 in the 75.1 innings he pitched in pinstripes. He was also credited for the loss in the famous Joba Chamberlain-midges game in the 2007 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. 

New York released him after the season, and his journeyman streak continued. After spending all of the 2008 season with the Colorado Rockies, he was traded to the Cubs. He was released by the Cubs, and moved on to the Indians. New York signed him last December with the intention of letting him compete for a roster spot, but his contract was voided after he suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon.
Verdict: Push

Jaret Wright for Chris Britton, 11/12/06

After the best season of his career with the Atlanta Braves, Wright signed a three-year deal with the Yankees before the 2005 season. He struggled in his two seasons, managing to pitch just 204 innings in those two years after throwing 186.1 in his one season with Atlanta. Sporting a 16-12 record and 4.99 ERA in 40 starts for New York, the Yankees traded Wright in a salary dump to the Orioles for heavyset reliever Britton.

Baltimore got three starts from Wright–in which he went 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA, lasting just 10.1 innings total in those three games–before shoulder problems effectively ended his career.

Britton had an excellent minor league pedigree before 2006–his career ERA was below 3.00 as he rose from the Rookie Leagues to Double-A–and he pitched solidly in his first major league action with Baltimore in 2006. In 52 games, Britton had an 0-2 record, but he had a 3.35 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.

He started his Yankees career with Triple-A Scranton, but he impressed enough there (4-2 record, eight saves, 2.51 ERA, and 58 strikeouts) to earn a call-up to the Yankees. In 11 games for New York, Britton went 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA and five strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He spent a period of 2008 on the disabled list, and while he excelled in Triple-A (3-1 record, 2.28 ERA, and 26 strikeouts in 27.2 innings), his ERA jumped to 5.09 in 15 games for the Yankees. 

New York non-tendered Britton after the season and he signed with San Diego. His time in the Padres farm system was disastrous; through five games at Triple-A his ERA was 9.53, earning him a demotion to Double-A. A 10.80 ERA in 10 games at Double-A earned him a release. He finished 2009 with the York Revolution and has spent the last two seasons pitching in independent leagues.
Verdict: NYY

Gary Sheffield for Anthony Claggett, Humberto Sanchez and Kevin Whelan, 11/10/06

New York signed Sheffield to a three-year deal with a team option for 2007 before the 2004 season. He rewarded New York with two All Star appearances, two Silver Slugger Awards, and two top-10 MVP finishes in his first two years, averaging .290, 35 home runs and 122 RBIs in those seasons.

However, a wrist injury cost him the entire middle of the 2006 season, and New York traded for Bobby Abreu to play rightfield, leaving Sheffield without a starting spot. As the season came to a close, New York picked up his 2007 option and traded him to the AL-champion Tigers for three minor league pitchers.

Sheffield was Detroit’s designated hitter for most of his two seasons with the Tigers, but age likely caught up with him and it was clear he wasn’t the same player he was in the Bronx: in 247 games he batted .247 with 44 home runs and 132 RBIs. Compared to his years in New York, his on base percentage dropped 30 points and his slugging percentage dropped 80 points in Detroit.

Sanchez was the top prospect received from the Tigers. A 31st round draft pick by the Tigers in 2001, he had gone 10-6 with a 2.63 ERA at Double- and Triple-A in 2006. He never got on the field in his first season with the Yankees, undergoing Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2007.

After rehab assignments in the Rookie League and Advanced-A Tampa, he reached Double-A Trenton before a late September call-up in 2008. Sanchez made two relief appearances, which to date are his only MLB appearances. He was released by New York in April 2009 but re-signed a week later. New York released him again after the 2009 season, and he last appeared for the Camden Riversharks in 2011.

Claggett, an 11th round draft pick by Detroit, spent nearly all of 2005 in Single-A. He began 2007 at Advanced-A Tampa and reached Triple-A Scranton full-time in 2009. He made his MLB debut for New York in April, surrendering eight earned runs in a 22-4 blowout by the Indians. Six of those runs came in a 14-run second inning in a game New York had previously led 2-0.

He was banished to the minor leagues until August, where he allowed two ninth inning runs in a 13-6 win over the Red Sox (which actually lowered his ERA from 43.20 to a much more respectable 33.75). Not surprisingly, New York placed him on waivers soon after and the Pirates claimed him. He made one appearance for Pittsburgh, giving up one run in an inning (lowering his ERA to a still astronomical 27.00). He spent the next two seasons with Pittsburgh’s minor league affiliates and was released last November.

Whelan was a fourth round draft pick by Detroit out of Texas A&M in 2005. The minor league reliever spent all of the 2006 season with Advanced-A Lakeland as their closer, saving 27 games. He rose from Tampa to Scranton by 2010 and started 2011 as Scranton’s closer. 

He made his major league debut in June, pitching in two games against the Indians. Whelan walked five and struck out one, giving up one run in 1.2 innings against Cleveland. He was sent back down to the minors after that series, saving 23 games for Scranton. New York took him off the 40-man roster in January to make room for Hiroki Kuroda, so he’ll open spring training as a non-roster invitee for New York.
Verdict: DET

Shawn Chacon for Craig Wilson, 7/31/06

After a stellar 2005 with the Yankees, Chacon tumbled substantially in 2006. Chacon carried a 5-3 record with New York before the trade, but Chacon’s ERA jumped over a full four points (from 2.85 in 2005 to 7.00 in 2006). After giving up 16 runs in 9.2 innings across four games in July, New York flipped Chacon for Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/rightfielder Wilson at the trade deadline.

Wilson was a power-hitting first baseman primarily for the Pirates in 2006; in 85 games for Pittsburgh he batted .267 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs. However, Wilson had a propensity to strike out–often. He was unable to post similar numbers in the Bronx; in 45 games for New York he hit just .212 with four home runs, eight RBIs, and 34 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances (or approximately one strikeout every three at bats). New York released him after the season, and after 24 games with the Braves in 2007, his major league career was over.

Chacon is the poster child for odd careers. He went 11-21 in his first two years as a starter for Colorado. In 2003, he was 11-3 with a 3.91 ERA to start the season, earning him an All Star nomination, but he lost five of his last seven starts and raised his ERA to 4.60 before his season ended in mid-August. The next year he was used exclusively as a reliever and closer; Chacon saved 35 games but had an awful 1-9 record and 7.11 ERA.

He was well on his way to the worst season of his career (1-7 record, 4.09 ERA in just 12 starts) when the Yankees intervened and acquired him for two minor league relievers. He rebounded, going 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA to close out 2005. As mentioned above, his success didn’t last in 2006. In nine starts for Pittsburgh after the trade, he went 2-3 with a 5.48 ERA. Pittsburgh used him almost exclusively as a reliever in 2007 with modest success, as he went 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA, but Pittsburgh released him after the season. 

After his release he signed a multiyear deal with the Houston Astros. In the middle of another lackluster season (2-3, 5.04 ERA), he was cut after an alleged physical altercation with Astros GM Ed Wade. He was pitching for the Newark Bears when the Oakland Athletics offered him a minor league contract in 2009. After he ran up a 6.29 ERA for their Triple-A affiliate, Oakland released him after the season. He’s been out of professional baseball ever since.
Verdict: Push

C.J. Henry and Matt Smith for Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle, 7/30/06

The Yankees sent three minor leaguers in shortstop Henry, catcher Jesus Sanchez, and pitcher Carlos Monasterios, and reliever Smith for Abreu and Lidle in a blockbuster deadline deal to fill the hole created by Gary Sheffield’s injury.

Henry, a shortstop, was a former first round draft pick that never realized his potential. He batted just .184 in 102 games at Single-A Lakewood in 2007 and was released by Philadelphia after the season. He returned to the Yankees farm system, playing 20 games for Single-A Tampa, but his baseball career was over; he joined his brother Xavier Henry playing college basketball at Kansas before transferring to a NAIA school.

Sanchez was a catcher in the Yankees farm system and played catcher in the Phillies system for a year before he was switched positions to starting pitcher. In two seasons as a pitcher, he was 19-13 with a 3.22 ERA and 204 strikeouts, but was released after the 2010 season and signed with the Brewers.

Monasterios pitched in the Phillies farm system until 2009, when he was selected in the Rule V Draft by the Mets and traded to the Dodgers, where he made his major league debut. He missed all of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Smith, who had given up no runs in 12 appearances for the Yankees before the trade, was 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 14 games for Philadelphia in 2006. Smith had an 11.25 ERA through nine appearances in 2007 and underwent Tommy John surgery midway through that season, effectively ending his Phillies tenure and major league career.

Abreu started fast for the Yankees. In 58 games for New York in 2006, he batted .330 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs. His arrival made Gary Sheffield expendable and New York would end up shipping Sheffield to the Tigers in the offseason. Abreu put up good statistics in his two full seasons as a Yankee, hitting .283 with 16 home runs and 101 RBIs in 2007 and .296 with 20 home runs and 100 RBIs in 2008.

Despite his potent bat, New York released Abreu after the 2008 season, choosing to chase marquee free agents like C.C. Sabathia rather than Abreu, who made $16 million in his final season in the Bronx. Abreu signed with the Angels for $9 million, who received excellent returns for their investment: a .293 average, 15 home runs, and 103 RBIs. Los Angeles re-signed him, but age has started to catch up with him, as his consecutive .255-20-78 and .253-8-60 lines are the two lowest totals of his career. He was rumored to be on the verge of making a return to the Bronx via trade to be New York’s DH before A.J. Burnett vetoed the potential move to the West Coast.

Lidle became a back-of-the-rotation starter for the Yankees, going 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA in nine starts for the Yankees. He made one appearance in New York’s ALDS loss to the Detroit Tigers, giving up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. His ALDS appearance would be his last, as Lidle died October 11, 2006, when the small plane he was in crashed into a high-rise apartment building in New York City. He was 34.
Verdict: NYY

Hector Made for Sal Fasano, 7/26/06

New York sent minor league shortstop Made to the Phillies for horseshoe-mustachioed and fan favorite catcher Fasano. Fasano had been Philadelphia’s starting catcher at one point in the season, but Chris Coste’s emergence and the return of Mike Lieberthal made Fasano expendable and he was designated for assignment. With the Yankees, Fasano served as the backup to Jorge Posada through the end of the regular season. 

Although Fasano was valuable as a backup defensive replacement, the light hitting that followed him throughout his career made him a liability at the plate. The .243 batting average through 50 games with Philadelphia in 2006 was the fourth highest mark in any of the stops he made during his 11-year career. In 28 games for New York, he posted a .143/.222/.286 line, adding a home run and five RBIs to his slash line as well. Made didn’t fare any better with Philadelphia’s minor league system, batting .212 and .237 in his two seasons there. After reaching Double-A for three games in 2007, his minor league career was over.
Verdict: NYY

Tony Womack for Ben Himes and Kevin Howard, 12/8/05

Womack had the best year of his career in 2004 with the NL-champion Cardinals, batting .307 with five home runs and 38 RBIs. He signed with the Yankees for the 2005 season, posting a .249/.276/.280 line in 108 games that was the worst of his career.

He was traded to the Reds after just one season with the Yankees. He would only play nine games for Cincinnati before he was released in late April of 2006. Womack played 19 more games in 2006, all for the Cubs, but he was released towards the end of June, which marked the end of his professional career.

Himes, a minor league outfielder, played one season in the Yankees minor league system before ending his career. In the year before the trade, Himes batted .300 with 11 home runs and 71 RBIs, but in 92 games with the Tampa Yankees, Himes batted just .227 with five home runs. New York released him after the season and Himes ended his playing career. 

Howard, now in the Blue Jays minor league system, batted .296 with 12 home runs and 70 RBIs in 129 games with Double-A Chattanooga in 2005. In 102 games with Trenton in 2006, Howard hit .255 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs in what would be his only season with the Yankees. Howard bounced through six organizations (Phillies, Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, Blue Jays, and Cardinals) before returning to Toronto for the 2011 season.
Verdict: Push

Ben Julianel for Ron Villone, 11/16/2005

New York sent minor league pitcher Julianel to the Marlins for reliever Villone in their first move of the 2005 offseason.

Julianel, acquired from the Cardinals for Sterling Hitchcock in 2003, was used primarily as a reliever for the Yankees after starting his career in the St. Louis organization as a starter. In the season before the trade, Julianel finished the year 5-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 46 games.

Julianel made it as high as Triple-A with Florida. In 2006, Florida attempted to switch him back to a starting role, but their attempts ended after he went 1-3 in his six starts at Double-A Carolina. He managed to reach Triple-A Albuquerque in 2007, but he was released after posting a 5.53 ERA in 36 games. After stops in the Twins and Rockies organizations, Julianel ended his professional baseball career after the 2009 season.

Villone stayed in the Bronx for two seasons, his longest stop in one place since spending two seasons in Cincinnati at the beginning of the decade. In those two seasons with the Yankees, Villone was 3-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 107 games. Villone struck out 97 batters in 122.2 innings in those 107 games. He signed with the Cardinals in 2008 and the Nationals in 2009–his last major league stop, which tied Mike Morgan’s record for the most teams played for, with 12.
Verdict: NYY

Conditional Deal: Jason Conti

Although it isn’t technically a trade, there’s still a place for this conditional deal somewhere: 

New York acquired Conti, an outfielder who last appeared in the majors in 2004, from Pittsburgh on a conditional deal in May 2006. Conti, who saw the majority of his major league service time in 2002 for the Devil Rays, lasted just 22 games with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers before he was released, posting a .259 batting average in those games. St. Louis signed him to a minor league deal the next day, but they released him after 38 games at Triple-A Memphis. After finishing out the year with the Camden Riversharks, he played the 2007 season in Italy before ending his professional career.