Javelina set sights on second title with trade

While the Julian Javelina entered week 12 tied for the best record in eMLB, they were also accutely aware of the flaws that could prevent them from making a run in the post season. As they have proven willing to do in previous seasons, the Javelina front office decided to be aggressive in filling their holes; ultimately agreeing to a blockbuster trade with the Michigan Miracles late Sunday evening.

GM Jamie Hoyle decided early in the week that he would need to move a piece for next season if he wanted to be a true contender this season, and that's what he did. Hoyle and Michigan GM Chris Renner agreed to a deal that sent outfielders Andre Ethier, Shin-Soo Choo, Scott Rolen and Michael Stutes to Michigan in exchange for Adam Jones, Jhonny Peralta, Jose Valverde and Daniel Murphy.

"It's hard to see a character guy like Andre go with time remaining on his contract," said Hoyle at a team press conference Monday morning. "But this had to happen. Adam and Jhonny add considerable power to our lineup, which we needed. Obviously, Jose solidifies our pen and we feel Murph can be a valuable piece coming of the bench."

The offensive key to this deal was Adam Jones, who is enjoying a break-out season with the bat. Jones has already amassed 12 Hr and 44 RBI in 2011, and is well on his way to setting career highs in home runs, runs batted in, walks and runs scored. Peralta will slide into the DH role immediately, and should provide some stability and much needed power from that spot. Because of his versatility, Murphy could easily see time at four positions as players need time off.

Perhaps more important than the offensive additions was the opportunity to add a proven closer with a track record of slamming the door on opposing teams while striking out more than a batter per inning pitched. Valverde and Madson should combine to form one of the better closer tandems in the league.

"We had some offers involving other closers, but none of them were on the same level as Jose," said Hoyle. "It was crucial that we added someone who was both overpowering and entrenched in the closer role. We decided early on that we weren't going to settle for some default closer - anyone we added had to be a difference maker."

In the end, Hoyle got what he needed. This is a team that should prove explosive offensively, and now it has an electric bullpen to protect leads. Despite falling 4 games behind the Desert Swarm after week 12, the Javelina have to be considered the favorite to win the West. And the scary thing for the rest of the division is, Hoyle may not be done.