The Yankees and Mets head into today’s trade deadline with similar objectives, upgrading their bullpens, but the Mets have already strengthened their team.
Yesterday, the Mets acquired Luis Castillo from the Minnesota Twins for AA catcher Drew Butera and Class A outfielder Dustin Martin. Martin had a .779 OPS for St. Lucie while Butera, considered more of a defensive player, had struggled in AA hitting only .188. In Castillo, a three-time All Star and former Florida Marlin, the Mets get the prototypical small-ball player and fill the void left by Jose Valentin who is out with a broken leg. He is excellent defensively at second and can slap singles, draw walks, lay down bunts and steal bases. He should be a great fit in the lineup behind Jose Reyes.
That doesn’t mean the Mets should be done trading. Atlanta has really upgraded with Mark Teixeira and may have more help on the way. Getting another setup guy for the bullpen seems like a must and while Pedro should be back (he's preparing for a class A start), it would make sense to add another veteran starter.
The Yankees have to rework their bullpen, even their closer agrees. One move they could apparently make would be to trade Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit (scroll to end). Presumably, they would then promote Joba Chamberlain from AAA to fill Proctor’s spot. Getting rid of Kyle Farnsworth before he injuries Jorge Posada is a necessity, even if they have to give him away.
Teams have until 4pm to complete trades before the deadline. We'll update this post if any moves are made.
UPDATE 1pm- The Yankees have pulled off the Betemit for Proctor trade. This trade will strengthen the Yankees' bench and may give the Yankees a fallback plan if A-Rod leaves, but it subtracts instead of adds from the bullpen. This can't be it for them. Three hours to go until the deadline.
Photo of Luis Castillo in a May game against the Devil Rays by AP/Chris O'Meara
