ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Maybe it's the start of a wild day at the baseball winter meetings.

In a four-team trade, third baseman Vinny Castilla was sent to Tampa Bay while pitcher Rolando Arrojo and third baseman Jeff Cirillo wound up in Colorado Monday in a deal that also involved Milwaukee and Oakland.

ESPN.com analysis

In the Department of Phone Calls You Don't Want, "Hi, you've been traded to Colorado" has to rank right up there with "Hi, this is Special Agent Joe Mason of the Internal Revenue Service ... " And lately, a lot of pitchers have been getting traded to Colorado. First it was Manny Aybar and Jose Jimenez (from St. Louis), and now it's Rolando Arrojo (from Tampa Bay) and Scott Karl (from Milwaukee). If you're looking for wealthy men for whom to feel sorry, you can start with these four, because none of them are going to enjoy pitching at Coors Field. On the other hand, Jeff Cirillo should have fun in Colorado. A career .307 hitter, if he stays with the Rockies for a few years he's got a good shot at a batting title. He's no power hitter, though. The last three seasons combined, Cirillo hit significantly fewer home runs (39) than Vinny Castilla hit on the road alone (52). Will this new-look Rockies lineup -- Cirillo joins newcomers Tom Goodwin, Jeffrey Hammonds and Brent Mayne -- have enough power to take advantage of Coors Field? Probably not, but new Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd certainly hasn't been shy about making deals. Castilla's power numbers will certainly fall off in Tampa Bay, where the ballpark was significantly less hitter-friendly in 1999 than in 1998. The rest of the players here look like throw-ins, despite what their new general managers might tell you, although Wright posted a decent-enough 4.47 ERA in 16 starts for the Rockies last year, and if his arm is right he could help the Brewers. Catcher Henry Blanco is a defensive specialist who can't hit, almost the exact opposite of Dave Nilsson, the man he replaces in Milwaukee. --Rob Neyer

It was the first four-team trade in baseball since Kansas City, Texas, the New York Mets and Milwaukee worked out a deal Jan. 18, 1988. The key figures in that trade were catchers Jim Sundberg and Don Slaught and pitchers Danny Darwin and Tim Leary

This big deal at the winter meetings moved nine players, sending pitcher Scott Karl and infielder Aaron Ledesma to the Rockies.

Milwaukee wound up with pitchers Jamey Wright and Jimmy Haynes and catcher Henry Blanco. Oakland got minor league pitcher Justin Miller.

"There almost was another team involved, if I could have gotten another type of player," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said.

Baseball officials thought this was the first four-way trade since Dec. 8, 1977, when the New York Mets, Texas, Atlanta and Pittsburgh made a deal involving Bert Blyleven, Willie Montanez and Jon Matlack.

This trade marked the second nine-player deal in two months. Texas sent slugger Juan Gonzalez to Detroit earlier in the offseason.

Castilla, 32, has been one of baseball's most consistent home run hitters in the last five years, averaging 38 a season. He hit 33 this year with 102 RBI while batting .275.

Now, however, Castilla will have to show he can hit for power away from Coors Field. He will take over full time at a position that recently retired Wade Boggs played on a part-time basis.

Arrojo, meanwhile, will have to adjust to a new league and, more important, the high altitude of Denver. Pitchers have not fared well at Coors, and the 31-year-old Arrojo will be tested.

Arrojo was 7-12 with a 5.18 ERA in 24 starts in his second major league season. Before this deal, the Devil Rays had talked about sending the Cuban defector to Anaheim.

"I thought the second half he adjusted a little better," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said. "Right now, he's just starting to get adjusted to the lifestyle."

The Rockies also got Cirillo and Karl from Milwaukee and Ledesma from Tampa Bay.

Cirillo hit .326 with 15 home runs and 88 RBI while Karl was 11-11 with a 4.78 ERA for the Brewers. Ledesma hit .265 with 30 RBI in 93 games.

The Brewers acquired Wright and Blanco from Colorado and got Haynes from Oakland in the complicated deal.

"One of our primary goals at this meeting was to upgrade our pitching and catching situations," Milwaukee GM Dean Taylor said. "Jimmy Haynes and Jamey Wright will be great additions to our pitching staff, and Henry Blanco is a tremendous defensive catcher who appears ready to come into his own offensively."

Wright was 4-3 with a 4.87 ERA in 16 starts and Blanco batted .232 with six homers and 28 RBI in a part-time role. Haynes was 7-12 with a 6.34 ERA for Oakland.

The Athletics wound up with Miller, who was 1-2 with a 4.14 ERA in Class A for Colorado.