NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees Wednesday acquired left-handed hitting first baseman Dave Revering from the Oakland A's in exchange for left-handed pitcher Tom Underwood and first baseman Jim Spencer.
The Yankees also received outfielder Mike Patterson and minor league left-hander Chuck Dougherty.
Revering, 27, is the key to the deal. Over his first three major league seasons, he has averaged .282, accumulating 50 home runs and 185 RBI. The A's, while giving up two prospects, acquire a player coveted by manager Billy Martin in Spencer and a pitcher who can balance their right-handed starting power.
Underwood, 27, was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays and compiled a 13-9 record with a 3.66 ERA last year. So far this season he was 1-4 in nine games with a 4.41 ERA. Martin could either decide to start Underwood, thus making him the only left-hander in the rotation, or he can use him in his bullpen, which is generally considered to be not equal of the starting corps.
Spencer, 33, hit a two-run homer Tuesday night to help the Yankees defeat Kansas City, but it was only his second home run of the year and gave him four RBI to go with a .143 average.
'We feel we're getting an excelent player in Dave Revering and two real fine prospects in Patterson and Dougherty,' said Yankee Vice President of Baseball Operations Bill Bergesch. 'This is only Dave's fourth season in the big leagues and he is just 27 years old, while Spencer will be 34 in July.
'We have not had much production from our first baseman this year, and Dave should fill that void. As for Underwood, he has struggled this year, and our coaches felt that he needed a change of scenery.'
Patterson, 23, was hitting .348 in 12 games this season. He hit .263 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI last year at West Haven. He has been assigned to Columbus.
Dougherty, 21, was 3-3 with a 3.80 ERA at San Jose in the Class A California League this year. He was eighth in the league in ERA last season with a 3.30 mark. He has been assigned to Fort Lauderdale.
The Yankees and Pirates had agreed to a deal that would have sent Spencer to Pittsburgh for Jason Thompson during spring training, but Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn overruled the trade, stating that the Yankees had agreed to pay the Pirates in excess of $400,000, the limit set by Kuhn for cash transactions.
The Yankees filled their open spot on the roster by recalling left-hander Dave Righetti from Columbus. Righetti, 22, was 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA for the Clippers.
The San Jose, Calif., native appeared in three games for the Yankees at the end of the 1979 season and had an 0-1 record with a 3.71 ERA.
Righetti is scheduled to start Saturday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.
