It's almost one year since Brian Cashman pulled the trigger on a deal that sent right-handed reliever Scott Proctor to the Dodgers for utility man Wilson Betemit. In parts of two seasons as a Yankee, Betemit has done nothing of note. Proctor went to LA and threw 32 more innings in 2007, allowing just 25 hits and 12 earned runs. His record of durability ended this year with a right elbow ailment that landed him on the DL after a rocky first half of the season. Now, maybe Cashman saw that elbow or other arm problems were inevitable for Proctor--especially considering how frequently Torre went to him in NY (and again in LA). What's more likely is that Cashman expected more from Wilson Betemit. He expected an upgrade over Miguel Cairo. He expected a guy that could very adequately spell Jeter, Cano, A-Rod, or the first basemen of the month for the Yankees. He probably--in his wildest dreams--expected Betemit to be insurance in case A-Rod left via free agency after 2007 (which he did, then didn't). Needless to say, Cashman got none of these things. He got an average bench player, and all he gave up was a reliable, tough, seventh or eighth inning reliever who he has since tried to replace with Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaino, and now LaTroy Hawkins. None of those three has been as consistently effective (or effective at all in Hawkins' case) as Proctor.
My point? Add this to the list of Cashman blunders. You know the list I'm talking about. It also includes names like Carl Pavano, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, and Kei Igawa.
