FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The New York Yankees Wednesday acquired third baseman Butch Hobson from the California Angels for relief pitcher Bill Castro.
Hobson, 30, hit .235 with four homers and 36 RBI in 85 games for California last year after coming to the Angels in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.
With Boston from 1977-79, Hobson was one of the more feared right-handed sluggers in the American League, belting 75 home runs and driving in 285 runs.
However, a shoulder separation suffered in 1980 has hampered his run production the past two seasons.
'He'll be a backup third baseman,' said Yankees' manager Bob Lemon. 'This way we'll be able to afford to rest (Graig) Nettles against some left-handed pitching. It's insurance for us.'
Castro was not on the Yankee roster but has two years left on a three-year contract with them. A former reliever for the Milwaukee Brewers, Castro spent last season at Columbus of the International League where he posted an 8-1 record. The Yankees had until Wednesday in which they had to release him, trade him or add him to the 25-man roster.
Earlier Wednesday, the Yankees traded first baseman-catcher Dennis Werth to the Kansas City Royals for minor-league pitcher Scot Beahan. Werth hit .109 in 34 games with the Yankees last year after hitting .308 in 39 games with New York in 1980. He split time between the Yankees' Columbus and Nashville minor league teams in 1981, compiling a .230 batting average with two home runs and 16 RBI.
Beahan, a 20-year-old right-hander, had a 3-3 record with a 3.10 earned run average last year at Sarasota, the Royals entry in the Florida rookie league. He will report to the Yankees' Fort Lauderdale, Fla., minor league camp.
