With the Winter Meetings officially open for business, the Julian Javelina have announced that they have traded outfielder Hunter Pence (3/14) to the Springfield Flying Squirrels in exchange for pick 2.12 in the upcoming draft. The team also announce the trade of catcher Victor Martinez to Hackensack, with pick 5.11 coming back to Julian.
Pence, a first round pick in 2012, was acquired from Michigan in a pre-deadline deal last season. After getting off to a fairly hot start with the Javelina, his numbers tailed off considerably following the All-Star break. While he did drive in 100 runs, he struggled with the strike out in the second half and didn't show much power. Feeling this draft was fairly deep with outfielders and preferring to open up a three year, moving the outfielder became an off-season priority.
"We like Hunter as a player, but we felt there was an opportunity to make better use of that three year contract," said GM Jamie Hoyle. "We appreciate Hunter's contributions and wish him luck in Springfield."
Though not yet confirmed, a team source indicated that pick 2.12 likely would not be with the club for long. The belief is the team has already used that pick to acquire an outfielder capable of replacing, if not improving upon, Pence's production. That announcement could come as soon as this morning.
Martinez, a highly criticized 12th round pick in 2012, spent the entire 2012 season on the DL as he recovered from knee surgery. Martinez is expected to make a full recovery, and while he should maintain catcher eligibility, it's believed he will spend most of his time at the DH spot in 2013.
"Drafting Victor was a calculated risk," explained Hoyle. "The intent was never to have him play for the Javelina, we always figured we could recoup a solid pick for him based on positional scarcity."
As with Pence, team sources have suggested Hoyle has already moved pick 5.12 for a bat. Nothing is confirmed, but league-wide scuttlebutt is tied to the acquisition of another catcher. Again, such a move would likely be announced later today.
Pence, a first round pick in 2012, was acquired from Michigan in a pre-deadline deal last season. After getting off to a fairly hot start with the Javelina, his numbers tailed off considerably following the All-Star break. While he did drive in 100 runs, he struggled with the strike out in the second half and didn't show much power. Feeling this draft was fairly deep with outfielders and preferring to open up a three year, moving the outfielder became an off-season priority.
"We like Hunter as a player, but we felt there was an opportunity to make better use of that three year contract," said GM Jamie Hoyle. "We appreciate Hunter's contributions and wish him luck in Springfield."
Though not yet confirmed, a team source indicated that pick 2.12 likely would not be with the club for long. The belief is the team has already used that pick to acquire an outfielder capable of replacing, if not improving upon, Pence's production. That announcement could come as soon as this morning.
Martinez, a highly criticized 12th round pick in 2012, spent the entire 2012 season on the DL as he recovered from knee surgery. Martinez is expected to make a full recovery, and while he should maintain catcher eligibility, it's believed he will spend most of his time at the DH spot in 2013.
"Drafting Victor was a calculated risk," explained Hoyle. "The intent was never to have him play for the Javelina, we always figured we could recoup a solid pick for him based on positional scarcity."
As with Pence, team sources have suggested Hoyle has already moved pick 5.12 for a bat. Nothing is confirmed, but league-wide scuttlebutt is tied to the acquisition of another catcher. Again, such a move would likely be announced later today.
