The calls began in September, right around the time the Tampa Bay Rays decided they weren’t going to pick up Akinori Iwamura’s option and the Pittsburgh Pirates decided Iwamura would look good in the middle of their infield.
On Tuesday, the deal between the two teams was finally completed.
The Rays sent the second baseman to the Pirates in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Jesse Chavez.
“Pittsburgh has been all over us for about a month now about him and really liked him,” Rays vice president of baseball Andrew Friedman said. “They felt like he was a good fit for them, and they’re getting a really good player.”
Friedman believes the Rays are getting some quality in return.
The 26-year-old Chavez spent his first full season in the big leagues in 2009 and led the Pirates pitchers with 73 appearances. He was 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA.
“He’s got some swing-and-miss stuff, and now it’s about trying to harness it and have it play that way at the major league level,” Friedman said. “He had success this year, but his ability is even greater in terms of his stuff. And sometimes guys take a little bit longer to mature, and we feel like he’s got a real upside and has a chance to be a really good reliever.”
The Rays had until one day after the World Series to act on the $4.5 million option they held on Iwamura for 2010. They could buy him out for $550,000 or allow Iwamura to leave as a free agent.
By trading Iwamura on Tuesday, the Rays avoided acting on the option.
Friedman said Iwamura was made expandable by the Rays depth at second base. Ben Zobrist, Reid Brignac and Sean Rodriguez, acquired from the Angels in the Scott Kazmir trade, will factor into the mix next season, though Friedman said it is too early to tell if they will form a platoon or if one person will hold the job full-time.
“It was difficult for us (to trade Iwamura), but we have areas we need to address, the catching position and the bullpen,” Friedman said.
Iwamura hit .281 during his three years with the Rays. He joined the Rays as a third baseman in 2007 after an All-Star career with the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League. His move to second base before the 2008 season was a major step toward the Rays winning the American League East and the American League pennant.
“It’s tough to put into words what Aki’s meant to this organization,” Friedman said. “I cite this example a lot when talking about the transformation from ’07 to’08, how selfless Aki was when we sat him down at the end of ’07 and talked to him about moving to second base. And essentially his comment was, ‘Whatever it takes to help the team win.’ And I think all of his teammates saw that and really respected that, as did the organization. So that’s just one anecdote. But he’s meant a lot to this organization both on and off the field.”
Rays fan will remember Iwamura for fielding the ground ball from Jed Lowrie and stepping on second to force Jason Bay for the final out in the Rays Game 7 victory against the Boston Red Sox in the 2008 American League championship series.
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