AL EAST
Score it another win for the Red Sox over the Yankees, as the former continued to turn a spring problem area into an area of strength, while the latter got nothing more than a spare part who couldn’t hit enough to stay in the lineup of a team that needs offense.

RED SOX: Before and after an early-season DL stint, Gagne has been very effective. Add him to what already was the league’s best bullpen in terms of ERA, and the Sox took another important step to ending the Yankees’ run of division titles.

The fact that Gagne waived his no-trade clause to go to a team where he will be a setup man tells you he wants to win. And the Red Sox certainly improved their chances to do that by acquiring him and picking up most of the incentives Gagne forfeited a chance at by moving out of the closer role. The cost was minimal, all things considered.

YANKEES: Unwilling to trade their top young big-league talent or elite-level prospects, they had to dip into a taxed bullpen and deal Proctor. While some of Proctor’s numbers are off from a year ago — likely due to a heavy workload in the last one-plus seasons — he was a sizable price to pay for a backup infielder in Wilson Betemit, whose playing time figures to be minimal.
Granted, Joe Torre needs a little more punch off his bench, but this move doesn’t figure to have much positive impact on the Yankees’ already-shaky playoff bid.

AL CENTRAL
Call this the no-activity division, as neither the Tigers nor the Indians addressed apparent bullpen needs. Meanwhile, the Twins angered some of their veterans by sending Castillo away to the Mets for a prospect, weakening a possible playoff run.

TIGERS: Yes, Fernando Rodney’s return is impending, and Joel Zumaya is expected back some time in August. But this could be a case where every game is going to count when it comes to the AL Central and wild card races, so the Tigers can’t afford to be giving away potential wins in the interim.

That’s why you thought maybe they would add immediate depth in the bullpen, where besides Todd Jones, only Jason Grilli has made as many as 37 appearances. Instead, the load will fall on young arms such as Andrew Miller, Jordan Tata, Zach Miner and Macay McBride.

INDIANS: Kenny Lofton was the only addition, and that happened only after David Dellucci went down for an extended period. But like the Tigers, the Tribe chose to go with pitching help from within, even though Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers currently are in Triple-A.

Aaron Laffey, a 22-year-old left-hander, is likely to be promoted to temporarily fill Lee’s spot, and veteran left-hander Aaron Fultz is expected to come off the disabled list soon to help the three-headed late-inning monster of Rafael Perez, Rafael Betancourt and Joe Borowski.

AL WEST
ANGELS: Another deadline has passed, and the Angels still have done nothing to protect Vlad Guerrero with a hitter opponents actually fear. They did make a bid for Mark Teixeira, but will have to settle for the likes of Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman trying to hit behind the league’s intentional walk leader.

Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images Once again, Vladimir Guerrero will have to carry the Angels offense, as his team failed to make a move to add a bat to the lineup.

Maybe the Rangers did ask too much for Teixeira, but the Angels could have landed a quality rent-a-player such as Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza — especially considering the fact that Juan Rivera’s recovery from a broken leg isn’t going as quickly as expected. Their lineup may produce enough runs against weak AL staffs, but how will it fare against the top three starters from the Tigers and Red Sox in the postseason?

MARINERS: The red flags regarding an overworked bullpen have been flying for awhile now, but GM Bill Bavasi didn’t get anything accomplished. And in fact, he traded away potential bullpen help in Mateo — banished to Triple-A after an off-field assault charge earlier this season — to the Phillies.

They also could use a starting pitcher and a bench player (Mark Loretta?). There wasn’t much in the former market, but you have to think a deal can — and still will — be made to give John McLaren more help off his limited bench.

RANGERS: They didn’t disappoint when it came to fulfilling expectations as the busiest pre-deadline traders. But just what have they acquired for Teixeira, Gagne and Mahay? A lot in the Braves’ deal, not so much in the Red Sox’s swap.

Saltalamacchia could turn out to be better than Teixeira, whom the Rangers weren’t going to be able to keep, as he reportedly turned down an eight-year, $140-million offer before the trade was completed. And scouts like Andrus and Perez, both at least a couple of years away.

But in Kason Gabbard and David Murphy, the Rangers got only marginal big-league talents for Gagne. Gabbard’s marginal stuff limits his potential, and Murphy could top out as a fourth outfielder. The longshot is 17-year-old outfielder Engel Beltre.

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

GMs head out to work on offseason trades Report: Mets, Phillies interested in Figgins MLB blog: Tigers listening to offers for Granderson Blyleven: Pitching to be had beyond Halladay Varitek exercises option to remain with Red Sox MLB blog: Mariners are bringing back Griffey ... why? AP sources: Riggleman staying as Nationals manager Wainwright: Holliday wants to return to Cards Cardinals GM still trying to get McGwire to talk to media MLB blog: NL Gold Glove picks were right, unlike AL's   Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: