NEW YORK -- The Yankees acquired infielder Wilson Betemit from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-handed reliever Scott Proctor before Tuesday's trade deadline.

The switch-hitting Betemit, 25, was batting .231 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 84 games for the Dodgers, and adds versatility to the Yankees' infield.

"He's an offensive guy, especially from the left-handed side," said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. "He's someone who can offer choices and flexibility."

A career .263 hitter who was serving as a reserve in Los Angeles, Betemit has played mostly third base in a five-year Major League career that also included parts of four seasons with the Atlanta Braves, but has also played second base, shortstop and right field.

When Betemit reports to New York, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, manager Joe Torre plans to bring up the idea of Betemit also working out at first base to expand his value to the club.

"I'm not surprised. Anything can happen in baseball," Betemit said in Los Angeles. "I heard a little bit the last few days. I don't make the decisions who gets traded. The American League, no pinch-hitters. We'll see what happens. Maybe I play first base, second base, shortstop, third base. I didn't start good this year. If I get 500 at-bats and not 50 at-bats, maybe it is better. What do I have to do? I know they have a lot of good players. I just have to go there and see."

He would join starter Andy Phillips and backup Miguel Cairo on the depth chart. Cashman suggested that Betemit could provide less of a performance dropoff on days when key contributors like Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter rested or served as designated hitters.

The trade for the switch-hitting Betemit reprises a deal the Yankees were rumored to be targeting at the trade deadline last season, when New York also dangled Proctor before Betemit was ultimately traded to Los Angeles by Atlanta on July 28 for Danys Baez and Willy Aybar.

"I talked about this exact same scenario last year, so it's kind of interesting," Cashman said. "It's no secret we have a lot of good young arms. We're top-heavy on the arms side over the position-player side. This gives us more flexibility."

Proctor, 30, led the American League with 83 appearances last season, and was on his way to another heavy workload this year, but had recently lost some favor in Torre's bullpen mix.

"I hate leaving here," said Proctor, who cleaned out his Yankee Stadium locker before the team's game against the Chicago White Sox. "It's a great organization and you hate that it's come to this, but Betemit's a good player and hopefully he can help the team here. On the flip side, I hope I can go there [to Los Angeles] and fill a major role."

Proctor was 2-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 52 appearances for New York this season. In 54 1/3 innings, the hard-throwing Proctor allowed 53 hits and 27 runs (23 earned), walking 29 and striking out 37.

Originally a product of the Dodgers' farm system who was acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline in 2003, Proctor had faltered of late, surrendering home runs in four of his last six appearances out of the bullpen, surrendering 12 hits and three walks in six innings.

Part of his downfall may have been a similarity to other hard throwers in the Yankees' bullpen, including Kyle Farnsworth and Brian Bruney. Recently, Luis Vizcaino -- who relies more on changing speeds -- had stepped into a setup role shared in part by Proctor.

In explaining why Proctor was expendable, Cashman cited the emergence of several top-level pitching prospects within the Yankees' farm system. Twenty-one-year-old Joba Chamberlain was moved to the bullpen this week at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and struck out the side in his relief debut on Tuesday.

The Yankees do not intend to promote Chamberlain to the Major Leagues on Wednesday, when they add another reliever from within -- Jeff Karstens and Edwar Ramirez are among those being considered -- but it is thought that Chamberlain work his way to the Major Leagues with continued success out of the Triple-A bullpen.

"We understand that he's a starter and the fact that he's pitching out of the bullpen now," Torre said. "We're certainly not of a mind to get him up [and] sit him down. You get him up to bring him in, preferably to start an inning."

The Yankees made only two moves in July as the deadline neared, also pulling off a July 21 trade with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to install Jose Molina as a backup catcher, replacing Wil Nieves.

As a side note on Tuesday, the Yankees saw the Boston Red Sox upgrade their bullpen with the addition of right-hander Eric Gagne, a player that Cashman acknowledged he was involved with discussions on.

While Cashman did not divulge names, it is believed that the Rangers requested Chamberlain or 20-year-old Phil Hughes as part of a package in a potential Gagne trade, a price Cashman balked at.

"He's a good pitcher," Torre said. "He's made a great comeback. It took him a long time, dealing with injury, but teams are trying to help themselves. Certainly he's going to help them."