Today, we have an ARI/COL trade to discuss. The Diamondbacks traded OF Jack Cust and C J.D. Closser to the Rockies in exchange for LHP Mike Myers on Monday.

Cust was one of Arizona's top prospects. His offensive skills show a ton of promise. His plate discipline is so good that some members of the Diamondback's staff feel that he actually lacks aggression at the plate, and he has also displayed excellent power potential. However, his poor defense has shown little improvement over the last few years, leading most to believe that he is destined to become a designated hitter. The 22-year-old spent the entire year at AAA before receiving a September call-up with the Diamondbacks in which he had only a few plate appearances.

J.D. Closser, who was at high-A for most of last season, is a good catching prospect. The 21-year-old switch-hitter's offense shows potential, particularly if he can improve his plate discipline, while his defense probably needs some help if he is going to continue behind the plate.

Mike Myers has been one of the best lefty specialists in the game for the last few years, and will be making over One Million Dollars.

I have thought for a long time that Arizona should probably deal Cust because of his defensive problems, and with Brad Cresse charging through their minor league system, Closser was also expendable. However, despite Mike Myers superb reputation, I'm not sure I would have traded either of these players straight up in order to acquire a lefty specialist. As I've said before, a good front office should be able to find these pitchers in droves as minor league free agents and in their own system. Cust could have probably commanded a higher price from an AL team in need of a DH and it's always a good idea to have more than one catching prospect in your minors.

I find it highly likely that the Diamondback were drawn to Myers based on his performance against them last season. He was very successful in taming Luis Gonzalez and actually secured his only two wins against Arizona. Now vulturing wins in relief is not something that I find overly impressive, but it seems to have made an impact on someone with the Diamondbacks. The best thing the team might get out of this deal is that they won't have to face Myers themselves. He also should be a pitcher that manager Bob Brenly feels comfortable actually using.

Looking at the deal from Colorado's perspective, they have disposed of an expensive lefty reliever and picked up two good prospects. Myers became expendable following the pick up of Brian Fuentes in the Cirillo trade and the Pokey Reese trade that turned Gabe White into Dennys Reyes. I don't think this is necessarily a perfect trade for them as they will need to find an AL team willing to trade them something of value for Cust, and given that everyone is fairly well aware of his defensive limitations, the AL GM's will know that he has little direct value for the Rockies. I am also concerned with Closser's catching problems, as we have seen with Ben Petrick that Colorado has little patience with catchers who can't catch. I want to see what some of the minor league reviews say about his defensive progress last year and what Dan O'Dowd is able to drum up for Cust before I determine exactly how much this trade favors the Rockies.

While some think that Cust might be able to move to first base, that is obviously not an option with the Rockies, who have their first base position tied up nicely with Todd Helton for the next several years, so lets look at the possible trades.

One popular idea is that Colorado might trade Cust to Seattle in exchange for David Bell. Bell, who has been rumored to the Rockies for some time now, would fill the hole at 3B opened by the Cirillo trade and Seattle would be able to theoretically work Cust in at DH. I have from the beginning disliked the idea of Colorado trading for David Bell as he would be just be an expensive one-year patch for their problem. I am also not fond of the trade when viewed from Seattle's perspective, as Edgar Martinez still has a few good years left in him, and as long as he is still performing well, he should be allowed to end his career with the Mariners.

Oakland is another possible trade partner for the Rockies. While at the moment their DH and outfield positions seem to be very crowded, Cust is a player for which intelligent teams will make room. I would also imagine that Cust's plate discipline is very appealing to the A's. Luis Vizcaino appears to be the player most likely to be traded to Colorado if this deal happens. The Rockies are always looking for bullpen help, and Vizcaino should be able to handle Coors better than most pitchers. While he seems to be Oakland's best closing option, it looks like they will probably try a committee for the beginning of 2002 The organization also has a knack for picking up cheap bullpen talent. This would potentially be a good deal for both clubs.

When I was looking at the Angels after the Appier signing, I suggested that they should pursue Cust. I still think this is a good idea, although I'm not sure how well the two teams match up. I would prefer that Anaheim deal Ramon Ortiz rather than Matt Wise, but they need more than a DH for Ortiz. However, Matt Wise does not appear to be the type of pitcher who could survive in Coors. In order to work something out, the Angels would probably need to find a second player to send to the Rockies in addition to Scott Spiezio, who would be able to play 3B for Colorado.

Texas is another team that might have interest, and they have a lot of trade bait. Colorado might be able to send Cust to the Rangers for Jason Romano. Romano has spent the majority of his time at 2B and in the outfield, but after another half season at AAA, the Rockies could probably turn him into a third baseman. It might be a tough sell to the Rangers, but they really don't have a lot of room for him, especially if they sign Juan Gonzalez. I don't think that Mike Lamb is enough for Cust, but he might be a good start to a package deal. Lamb is of course expendable as super-prospect Hank Blalock should be ready at third base for the Rangers by mid-season. In the meantime, Texas also has Herbert Perry available to fill in. As soon as the Juan Gonzalez signing is official, Gabe Kapler should become expendable, and the Rockies should have a lot of interest in him, so a trade built around Kapler and Cust is also possible. I'd like to see a deal resembling Cust, Closser, and Craig House to Texas for Kapler and Lamb. Closser gives them some insurance between an IRod departure and the arrival of Scott Heard, and the inclusion of House in the deal should also be a selling point for John Hart, as we've witnessed his interest in relievers over the last few weeks. The Rockies might need to add a second pitching prospect to get this deal done, but I've always felt that Colorado should use their pitching prospects as trade bait

The article on the Rockies' official site suggests that the Mets might have interest in a trade for Cust that would include Benny Agbayani. I don't see this as a deal that will happen, and it certainly isn't one that should happen. I think that New York will likely work out a deal including Agbayani with San Diego, and even if that doesn't happen, I don't think Cust should play for an NL team.

I could probably put forth a number of other trade possibilities, as a player like Cust should draw significant interest, but I think I'll stop the speculation here. I do try to avoid discussing potential trades that are unlikely to happen.