Texas traded 1B-L Travis Hafner and RHP Aaron Myette to Cleveland for C-R Einar Diaz and RHP Ryan Drese on Friday in a deal that looks like a steal for the Indians. Cleveland has essentially picked up a starting first baseman and a made a fairly even swap of pitchers, while dumping one of the players they most wanted off their roster.

Diaz's contract was a thorn in the Indians' side with Josh Bard capable of starting and Victor Martinez less than a year away from moving Bard to a reserve role. He is scheduled to make $1.75M in 2003, of which Cleveland will still pick up $750,000. However, the Rangers assume the entire burden of his $2.9M salary in 2004 and $3.5M option for 2005 with a $400,000 buyout.

Of course, Texas GM John Hart was responsible for signing Diaz to that contract during his time as the Cleveland GM. Now Diaz will be asked to swim in the shoes left empty by Ivan Rodriguez, who will depart the Rangers as a free agent. Texas isn't even expected to offer Rodriguez arbitration, as he's not a part of their plans and they don't want to risk the possibility that he might accept. Consequently, they won't even have the consolation of draft pick compensation for the future Hall of Fame catcher.

Diaz displayed some power in the minors, but he has been unable to bring those skills to the majors and his weak plate discipline hinders his offensive potential. He'll turn thirty late this month, so he may begin to show some more power, but I don't think the Rangers should expect much. Additionally, he seems to encounter more than even a catcher's normal share of minor injuries, and he also will have to deal with the defensive gap left by Rodriguez.

Ryan Drese established himself in the majors last season, compiling a 102:62 K:BB with 176 H and 15 HR allowed in 137.1 IP for a 6.55 ERA. His minor league numbers indicate considerably more promise, and he was rushed to the majors, so he should improve with the Rangers in 2003. His hit rate was elevated by the worst defense in the majors, but moving to Texas, who ranked as the third worst in the AL won't help much in that area. The Ballpark at Arlington is also even more favorable to hitters than Jacobs Field.

Texas would probably be wise to allow him to spend some additional time at AAA before attempting to integrate him into their rotation, but I believe they view him as an immediate contributor based on the fact he managed 10 wins last season. If not treated to the jack-in-a-box promotions and demotions that the Rangers put some pitchers through last season, the 26-year-old should develop into a solid starter over the next couple seasons.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have relinquished Aaron Myette. Myette spent some time on the trampoline between AAA Oklahoma and the major league club in 2002. While in the minors, he compiled excellent numbers, including a 106:42 K:BB with 86 H and 5 HR allowed in 106 IP. However during his time in the majors he suffered command problems, as he has every time he's received a call-up. Due the way in which Texas has used him, the 25-year-old is already out of options, though luckily he appears to have already mastered AAA and merely needs to work on adjusting his skills to the majors. Cleveland has the roster space available and will keep him in the rotation for the entire season, allowing him the development opportunity he needs. Consequently, I think we'll see considerable improvement over the course of the 2003 season with Myette performing no worse than Drese last season.

Finally, we come to the last player in the deal, Travis Hafner. The 25-year-old has risen quickly through the Rangers' minors since Texas drafted him out of Cowley County Kansas Community College in the 31st round of the 1996 draft. At every level, he's shown the ability to take a walk and displayed moderate power. Upon reaching AAA Oklahoma this past season, he hit .342 with a .463 OBP and .559 SLG on 137 H, 22 2B, 1 3B, and 21 HR with a 79:76 BB:K and 2/3 SB% in 401 AB. Hafner's strikeouts indicate a marked improvement from AA, which is quite impressive considering the level jump.

GM Mark Shapiro has said Hafner will compete with Ben Broussard for the starting job at first base in 2003, and unless he has a poor Spring Training, I fully expect Hafner to break camp with the position. Hafner's power skills will likely take a few years to catch up to Thome and he may not ever completely fill that portion of the his predecessor's shoes. However, the Indians hardly could have found a better successor to their beloved cornerman.

I don't care that Hafner was blocked at first base by Rafael Palmeiro and at DH by a score of other players on the Rangers' roster. Texas could have made room for him, and they certainly should have demanded more than a catcher with a poor contract even if they viewed Drese was an upgrade over Myette. Carelessness like this on the part of GM John Hart could quickly deplete even the Ranges' well-stocked farm system, and he should be castigated sharply now in hopes of avoiding such negligence in the future. The AL West leaves little room for mistakes, so Hart needs to control his weakness for players from his former organization, as Mark Shapiro has shown he knows how to exploit that frailty.