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| The Oakland A's have re-signed designated hitter Jack Cust, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. |
Our View: It is a one-year deal worth only $2.5 million. While Cust is a famously all-or-nothing player (home run or strikeout), he has to be disappointed with how little money he is getting. The A's, meanwhile, have to be ecstatic. Despite his .239 career average, the A's are getting a routine 25 homer, 100-walk threat for next to nothing. He will remain a fringe fantasy option in average-sized mixed leagues next summer, but a great one in AL-only formats.
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| The Athletics are reportedly still interested in re-signing Jack Cust, according to Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area. |
Our View: Oakland is yet to make an offer to Cust though, who made $2.8MM last season. His low batting average leaves a bit to be desired, but he provides power, as he launched 25 homers in 2009.
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| The Royals, Tigers and Giants are all said to be interested in free agent Jack Cust, according to Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports. |
Our View: With his total lack of defensive ability, he would seem to be a no-go in the National League, so consider the Royals and Tigers more likely destinations.
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| Jack Cust has not been offered a contract by the A's. |
Our View: Despite all the power, Cust's total inability to hit for contact and to field will make him a tough sell this offseason. It's possible he could end up staying with the A's for a reduced salary.
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| There is belief that the A's will non-tender Jack Cust, according to the Mercury News. |
Our View: Cust performed well down the stretch with Oakland in 2009, but the club is not convinced that he is worth the $4MM or more he would be awarded in arbitration. The team can still try to bring him back at a lower salary though.
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| The Mets appear to be interested in free agent outfielder/designated hitter Jack Cust, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: He is a non-tender candidate Oakland is believed to be actively shopping. While he has a decent bat, and has hit for a lot of power in a cavernous Oakland stadium, he is horrid defensively and takes a ton of strikeouts, making him un-ideal for the National League. On second thought, he might be perfect for the Mets.
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| Jack Cust yanked his 25th home run in the ninth inning of a 4-1 game on Thursday, but it wouldn't be enough for the A's, who lost 4-2 in Seattle. |
Our View: Cust now has at least 25 bombs in each of the past three seasons. The problem is, the free-agent-to-be also has an average below .250 in that span to go along with over 500 strikeouts. Not necessarily a recipe for a huge deal.
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| Jack Cust went 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBI in the A's 15-10 rout of the Angels on Saturday. |
Our View: Cust now has 24 homers and 69 RBI on the season. While he's a low average hitter (.243), he still gets on base at a .361 clip. Typical Billy Beane character.
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| Jack Cust went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Tuesday's 11-3 win at Chicago. He hit a double and a three-run homer off Carlos Torres. |
Our View: Cust snapped a nine-game skid without a homer, but still leads Oakland with 21. He ended a seven-game drought without an RBI as well.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-4 with a solo homer off Luke French in tonight's 5-3 loss at Seattle. |
Our View: Cust is hot as he has a hit in four straight games, with three homers over the span. He continues to lead the A's with 20 homers and 69 runs scored.
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| Jack Cust performed well in Monday's 3-1 loss at Seattle, as he went 2-for-4 with a single and a double. |
Our View: Cust is hitting very well right now, as he registered multiple hits in four of his last five games, with three homers and six RBI over the span. He is hitting .295 over 61 at-bats this month as well.
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| Jack Cust carried the A's offensively in Sunday's 9-4 win over Oakland at McAfee Coliseum, as he went 3-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. He hit a single and two homers, both coming off Rick Porcello. |
Our View: Cust hit three homers over his last four games, and has 19 for the season. His fantasy value would be higher if not for a .240 batting average.
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| Jack Cust went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Oakland's 3-2 loss to the Tigers on Friday. |
Our View: Cust is breaking out of a major August slump and now has five hits in his last six at-bats, including a homer and a pair of RBI. Still, his average is just .235 on the season.
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| Jack Cust went 2-for-2 with a single and a solo homer off Alfredo Aceves in tonight's 3-2 loss to the Yankees at McAfee Coliseum. |
Our View: Cust snapped a 26-game drought without a homer, and now has 17 for the season. Hopefully fantasy owners won't have to wait long for his next blast.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer off Justin Verlander in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Tigers at McAfee Coliseum. |
Our View: Cust has 14 homers, and is off to a nice start in July. He should remain a good source for power if fantasy owners can deal with his dismal .225 batting average.
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| Jack Cust was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored as Oakland defeated the Dodgers 5-4 on Wednesday. He also made an error in right field and was later pulled in a defensive switch. |
Our View: After failing in the three-hole, Cust is now hitting second in between Adam Kennedy and Matt Holliday, which should be a nice spot for him. He entered tonight's game hitting only .154 this month, but tonight marked half of his hits this month have left the park.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday's 4-3 win over the Twins at McAfee Coliseum. |
Our View: Cust is only hitting .239, but remains a nice source for power with 10 homers. That marks his third homer of June.
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| Jack Cust's MRI did not find anything major regarding his back ailment, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. |
Our View: He is penciled into tonight's lineup against Baltimore, but could end up being a late scratch as he is walking gingerly. We will keep you posted on his status.
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| Jack Cust was held out of the lineup on Thursday due to tightness in his back and is likely to sit Friday as well according to Athletics.com. |
Our View: A's manager Bob Geren said Cust's back bothers him the most when he is running, so he'll probably be out of the outfield for a little while. But Geren also said a trip to the disabled list is unlikely and that the A's DH should be considered day-to-day.
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| Jack Cust is still dealing with tightness in his back while running, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. |
Our View: Cust could still play through the ailment, and will work strictly in the DH role for a few days while he recovers.
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| According to the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Jack Cust left Friday's game after just one at-bat with back spasms. |
Our View: Cust has had continuous back issues in his career, but he's usually good to go after a day or two of rest. He left Wednesday's game with the same problem, so this time it might be more serious. He was replaced by Bobby Crosby.
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| The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Jack Cust expects to return to the lineup on Friday after missing Wednesday's game with back spasms. |
Our View: Cust indicated that he has suffered from back spasms in the past, and he usually only misses one game. That looks to be the case again this time, and it helps that he will get an extra day of rest with the off day Thursday. Expect him to be back on Friday, and he should stay in the lineup going forward.
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| Jack Cust became the latest major leaguer to crank out a grand slam as the A's beat the Rangers 9-4 on Thursday. It was his only hit in four at bats. |
Our View: Cust has turned in strong performances at the plate in four of his last five games. In the fifth game, he struck out four times. That is the story with Cust - you take the good with the bad. However, both the good and bad have come at a slower rate in 2009. He has only four home runs, and has struck out "just" 27 times. He has also drawn 18 walks through 26 games.
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| Jack Cust had three hits in four trips to the plate as he pushed his average up to .299 on the season. In addition, Cust had a rare outing without a strikeout or walk. |
Our View: This was the second straight games that the "three outcome" star (HR, BB, K), failed to record any of the three. The bating average continues to be a nice value from Cust since his power stroke has yet to appear (three home runs). Count on the power returning and the average going south before all is said and done.
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| Jack Cust was 2-for-4 and popped his third home run of the season in Sunday's 15-inning loss to the Mariners. It was a two-run shot. |
Our View: Cust is having a decent season and has his average all the way up to .280. He showed good pop last season with 33 homers, but only hit .231. This year the average is a big improvement, but he's only knocked three out of the park. Doing well in both categories in the same season may be too much to ask of him.
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| The AP reports that Jack Cust homered for the second time this season and also extended his on base streak to 36 games in Monday's win over the Red Sox. |
Our View: Cust is hitting .381 to start the year, but has struck out seven times, a perennial Achilles Heel for him in the past. Still, his 36 consecutive games reaching base is tops in baseball, an impressive feat for a guy who traditionally hits around .250. Keep an eye on Cust, but be ready for a massive cool down.
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| Jack Cust was 2-for-3 with two RBI, a walk and his first home run on Saturday as the A's fell to the Mariners 8-5. |
Our View: It's way to early to get excited about Cust's .467 average this season. He's hot right now, but the slugger hit just .231 last year with 197 strikeouts. Expect his average to regress to the norm soon.
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| Jack Cust was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Angels. |
Our View: The only time Cust didn't reach base he struck out. What a shock! The only thing holding back Cust from being an extremely solid fantasy option is the feast-or-famine nature of his game.
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| Jack Cust was 2-for-3 with an RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the White Sox. |
Our View: Cust was back in the lineup after missing time with back stiffness and picked up right where he left off. He's hitting .342 this spring, but you can bet the average will come down once the regular season gets going. Expect 30 home run power, but it comes at a price. Last year's .231 average and nearly 200 Ks will attest to that.
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| Outfielder/DH Jack Cust did not play on Tuesday due to a sore lower back, but the injury is not believed to be serious, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. |
Our View: The back tends to tighten up when one swings and misses so violently, so often.
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| Jack Cust was 3-for-4 with two RBI on Saturday as the A's fell to the Mariners 8-5. He raised his average to .273. |
Our View: He is set to be the A's starting right fielder, and has solid power numbers, but he needs to raise the average and cut down on the Ks if he's going to make any real fantasy noise. Quietly hit 33 home runs last year, but is a lesser version of Adam Dunn if he can't bring the average up.
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| Rightfielder Jack Cust drove in the lone Oakland run with a sixth-inning home run as the A's fell 3-1 to the Angels. |
Our View: After Cust stayed put amid trade rumors this offseason, it appears the A's are comfortable with him being the everyday rightfielder. He will be a solid mid-round pick but will need to cut down on his strikeouts.
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| Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes the Blue Jays are conducting trade talks with the Oakland A's regarding the services of Jack Cust. Griffin says there have been delays between Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi and his good friend, A's GM Billy Beane, because the cash-strapped Jays need to evaluate at Spring Training who is dispensable, based on need. |
Our View: The two areas the Jays will be able to afford subtraction are left-handed relievers and infielders.
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| The Contra Costa Times reports that Jack Cust will see plenty of work in right field this season. |
Our View: Cust's defense has been picked apart by some, and many believe he is better off simply as a DH. However, it appears he will maintain his outfield eligibility for at least one more season.
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| The Sports Ticker reports that Jack Cust avoided arbitration on Wednesday by signing a one-year deal with the Oakland A's. Cust drew 111 walks, hit 33 home runs, drove in 77 RBI, and scored 77 runs in 148 games a season ago. However, he also struck out 197 times and hit just .231. |
Our View: For all the pros that come with Cust, there are just as many cons. He should be a fixture in a more potent lineup next season which figures to increase his value. Cust will be selected in virtually all formats he is eligible for, but it remains to be seen just how much he will help his owners.
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| Wednesday's game against the Rangers was a case of deja vu for Jack Cust. He duplicated Tuesday night's performance by going 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a strike out. |
Our View: Cust leads the AL in walks and strikeouts and is just four home runs from the lead in home runs. Say what you will about the oft-whiffing Cust, but owners know exactly what they're getting when they draft him.
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| In a none-too-shocking evening, A's designated hitter Jack Cust hit his 31st home run of the season, walked for the 107th time and struck out for the 191st time in his team's 6-4 loss to the Rangers. |
Our View: This is what Cust does. His .230 average is just something fantasy owners will have to deal with if they want that power.
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| Jack Cust leads the AL in strikeouts with 188, and he also leads the league with 105 BB, and on Sunday he hit his 30th home run of the year to knock in his 71st and 72 RBI of the season. |
Our View: Cust is the definition of an all or nothing bat, but when he gets a hold of one, it goes a long way. Cust sports a OBP over .370, so he figures to continue to be run out there almost every day if he ends up staying with the Athletics this off-season.
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| For those of you who had selected Jack Cust to break an AL record this season, congratulations! With two strikeouts on Friday night, Hurricane Cust set the AL single season mark for strikeouts with 187 according to the AP. Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard set the major league mark last season with 199 strikeouts. |
Our View: This is obviously a bit of a concern for Cust owners in league's that count strikeouts. In his defense...ah, hell you can't defend this kind of record. But, this may be an appropriate time to point out that he also leads the AL in walks.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-4 with a run scored and three strikeouts on Thursday night. He is now hitting .228. |
Our View: Cust has 176 K and 96 BB as he leads the junior circuit in K and BB. What you see is what you get here, and what that basically means is that you have a scaled down version of Adam Dunn.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in the A's 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. |
Our View: Cust's 28 home runs are great, as is his on-base percentage, but he doesn't give fantasy owners the whole package. Because of his .228 average, he has only 66 RBI, remarkably low for someone with as many home runs as him.
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| Jack Cust homered twice off of Orioles' pitchers on Saturday. His blasts accounted for three RBI in the A's 5-1 victory over Baltimore. |
Our View: Cust's average is still just .230 and he has 171 strikeouts this year but it's hard to ignore his 27 home runs.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Twins. |
Our View: He has homered in two straight games, and hit three over his last five. His average (.228) leaves a lot to be desired, but should remain a solid source of power for AL-only leagues.
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| Jack Cust was Oakland's lone source of scoring in Friday's 12-2 loss to Minnesota, as he went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. |
Our View: Cust is only batting .227, but has been solid in the power department with 24 homers. Two of his homers came over his last four games.
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| Jack Cust was fine Saturday after experiencing blurred vision in his right eye Friday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. However, Cust was not in Saturday's lineup, anyway, because manager Bob Geren wanted to play Rajai Davis against lefty Jarrod Washburn. |
Our View: Cust is available to pinch hit tonight and should be back in the lineup tomorrow.
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| Jack Cust went 1-for-3 and registered Oakland's lone RBI in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota. His hit was a single. |
Our View: That was his only RBI in the three-game set against the Twins.
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| Jack Cust went 3-for-3 with a pair of homers in Oakland's 6-4 win Friday. |
Our View: Cust is batting only .231 on the year, but the A's don't really mind the low average since it's come along with 22 homers and a .377 OBP.
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| Jack Cust went 0-for-5 and struck out three times as a part of the A's 7-6 loss to the Tampa Rays. |
Our View: Cust has not been good with the bat over the summer months. Since June 1, he is hitting just .206. He also has 12 home runs since that time, but is that really enough of a trade off for fantasy owners?
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| Jack Cust was out of the Athletics starting lineup on Saturday due to swelling in his injured right thumb that precluded him from swinging properly, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Cust had hoped to still play on Friday, but there is a chance the team could hold him out of action the next a couple of days to make sure the infection in his thumb doesn't worsen.
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| Jack Cust was a late scratch Thursday because of an infection on his right thumb, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: Cust is considered day-to-day. He is only hitting .227 but has been a solid source of power with 20 homers, and hopefully he will be fine for the new fantasy week.
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| Jack Cust hit his 20th home run of the season, an opposite field blast over the Green Monster on Friday night. |
Our View: Cust also made a nice diving catch on the night, flashing the leather in a display that many thought they would never see. Cust is only hitting .226, but his OBP is .372, giving him some extra value in non-traditional fantasy leagues.
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| Jack Cust went 2-for-2 on Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as the Angels scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 4-3 win over the A's. |
Our View: One of Cust's hits was his 18th home run in 292 at bats. Cust offers owners streaky production and power, but his .229 batting average is difficult to swallow.
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| Jack Cust has extended his strikeout streak to 18 games on Friday, tying Reggie Jackson's record for a non-pitcher set back in 1970, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: He still has a three-game hitting (and RBI) streak, and homered in two of his last three outings.
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| Jack Cust led the Athletics in Friday's 7-1 win over the White Sox, as he went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer. |
Our View: He is only hitting .236 but has 15 homers and 43 RBI. He has homered in back-to-back games against Chicago, and it was his third over his last six outings.
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| Jack Cust hit his first home run since June 7 on Tuesday against the Phillies. It was also just his second extra base hit in that time. |
Our View: Cust now has 12 home runs on the year, and his BA has stayed consistently around .250. However, his OBP has not been under .400 since May 1.
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| The Athletics brought the wood to the Yankees in tonight's 8-4 win over New York, spreading 11 hits through the evening, led by outfielder Jack Cust . Cust went 2-for-2 with two walks to total three RBIs and one runs scored on the night. |
Our View: Cust isn't known for prolific offense, but he hit .303 through May with an impressive seven home runs and 14 RBIs. Thus far in June he has smacked an additional three home runs with eight RBIs.
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| Jack Cust finished May hot and began June with the same fire. The A's left-fielder hit a home run and drove in two runs as the Oakland Athletics rallied for a 13-8 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday to end their four-game losing streak. |
Our View: Cust now has nine home runs, 23 RBI and 29 runs scored on the season.
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| Jack Cust continued his hot month of May Wednesday, belting a pair of two-run homers in the win over Tampa Wednesday. |
Our View: Cust hit just .188 with one homer in April, but he's humming along at a .339-6-10 clip this month. Hopefully you bought low on him.
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| Jack Cust hit a solo home run and the Oakland Athletics beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Saturday night to end a season-worst four-game losing streak. |
Our View: Cust has become a popular free agent pickup of late. The A's slugger has five home runs, 21 runs scored and 13 RBI while hitting .239 on the season. Those numbers don't explain his popularity.
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| Jack Cust has been named the AL Player of the Week, according to the AP. Cust hit .500 last week with three home runs, a double and four RBI.
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Our View: For the season, Cust is only batting .244 with four home runs and 11 RBI over 28 games. If you don't trust him to remain solid, now is the time to trade him while his stock is on the upswing.
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| Jack Cust is on a roll. The DH/outfielder went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's win over the Rangers. It was his third long ball over the last four games, and he is up to .244 after hitting .176 in April. |
Our View: Maybe Cust is the A's version of Adam LaRoche and simply despises April. We were just about ready to give up on the slugger, but this hot streak has renewed some of our faith.
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| Jack Cust dropped a fly ball which led to five unearned runs, but he partially made up for that with a perfect night at the plate as he went 4-for-4 with two walks for the A's. |
Our View: Cust hit his second home run of the season on the night as well as boosting his average .056 points to .222.
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| Jack Cust had a tough day at the plate in the season opener against Boston, as he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts (while leaving four men on base). Cust notably had a problem with strikeouts through spring training and this was a disastrous start to the new season for him. |
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| Jack Cust struck out twice and forced one walk against the Cubs on Wednesday. His spring average now sits at .278 and he is tied for second on the team with 12 strikeouts. |
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| Jack Cust hit his third home run of spring training today as the Athletics silenced the Chicago Cubs 6-4 in Cactus League action. Cust was acquired from the Padres last season to help fill the void left at DH when Mike Piazza fell to injury, and during this short time in the league showed great promise, making several starts in left field and working towards a spot on the major league roster. He's a total gamble for fantasy owners now, but if he stays hot through spring training, anything is possible. The A's love to give youthful prospects a shot to shine and Cust could be their next subject for testing. |
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| Jack Cust was beaned on his helmet by a pitch Saturday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm not as dizzy, but I still feel it," Cust said. "I was a little unstable. I wanted to stay in, but when I got on my feet, I felt a little woozy." He was sent for X-rays, though the results haven't been made available. It sounds like he'll be all right, but we'll have to wait for an update to be certain. |
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| Jack Cust, who started in left field Monday, was forced to leave the game early after being hit by a pitch, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm fine," Cust said. "It'll be good. It's not the first time. This (removal) was precautionary because it was a little numb." He said he doesn't expect to miss any time. |
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| Jack Cust, one of the many players named in the Mitchell Report, has denied using performance-enhancing substances. Former teammate Larry Bigbie dropped Cust's name to Mitchell. "I was surprised and upset the way it came up," Cust said in the San Francisco Chronicle. Asked if he had ever used steroids, Cust said: "No. No. Not even one game." |
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| Jack Cust hit a three-run homer in Saturday's win over the Giants. The surprising reclamation project now has eight homers and 20 RBI in just 13 games with the Athletics. |
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| The A's acquired Jack Cust from the Padres Thursday for a player to be named or cash, according to the AP. Cust was batting .295 with eight home runs and 19 RBI for Triple-A Portland. He could fill in for Mike Piazza some at DH. |
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