Aki Iwamura to the Pirates

[SeriesFinale]

This is going down this afternoon.

Not confirmed for who/what yet.

 

From a fan standpoint this stinks because Iwamura was a favorite of mine (even have a shirt jersey) on the Rays (my default AL team having grown up in Sarasota) and I hate seeing him on a team I can't stand.

 

As to whether it makes the Pirates any better, I'll leave to others to break down.

[Tedaldtada]

He's not far behind what Freddy Sanchez was for them. Could be better if he gets the league switch bump in production.

[dadofandrew]

This seems to go against PIT's rebuilding, unless they hope to sign him for less and then deal him.

[TooLiveBrew]

As long as they didn't give up too much for him, he's not a bad pickup. His value was down iirc due to his knee injury, but when healthy he's been passable at both 3B & 2B, and provided a decent bit of OBP at bat. If nothing else, the Bucs have a shot at buying relatively low on Iwamura & potentially upgrading a prospect if they can flip him during 2010.

 

Would Iwamura even be blocking anyone for Pittsburgh (assuming he starts), or would he just be a placeholder?

[Invader3K]

Reports say they Rays are getting Jesse Chavez in return. Doesn't seem like a very exciting reason to trade Iwamura. Probably a salary dump so they can extend Crawford or spend money elsewhere?

[SeriesFinale]

Reports say they Rays are getting Jesse Chavez in return. Doesn't seem like a very exciting reason to trade Iwamura. Probably a salary dump so they can extend Crawford or spend money elsewhere?

Yeah, that was my understanding--they weren't going to pick up the option regardless.

[dadofandrew]

I'm puzzled, Chavez throws a legit 95, and Iwamura is only signed for one more year. I thought they would non-tender him and then resign him, but he is already signed, and now there's no way they'll decline the option after giving up a velocity hound like that.

 

PIT has done a fine job of ignoring the casuals worrying that 65th win, but I don't see why they need to bump Delwyn Young (or Andy LaRoche) off 2B.

[hawing]

I'll always remember Jesse Chavez for that grand slam he gave up on September 25, 2008. Sigh.

[TooLiveBrew]

PIT has done a fine job of ignoring the casuals worrying that 65th win, but I don't see why they need to bump Delwyn Young (or Andy LaRoche) off 2B.

 

Maybe they've gotten interest/inquiries on one or both of those two, and like whatever's being offered.

[JoeHova]

PIT has done a fine job of ignoring the casuals worrying that 65th win...

So you don't think that the season ticket holders who sit in the stands for 81 games want to see a few wins now and then? It's only casual fans who care about their favorite team not losing 110 games?

[logan82]

I think he is referring to the fact that the difference between 62 wins and 65 wins is pretty much meaningless. An extra few wins doesn't really start to matter until you get up around 82 wins.

[trwi7]

I don't think this is a bad deal for the Pirates. Worst comes to worst, they trade him at the deadline, likely for more value than Chavez provides.

[JohnBriggs12]

It's a good deal for the Pirates. Iwamura is a solid everyday 2nd baseman who'll post a .350-.360 OBP, maybe higher not facing AL East pitching. Chavez is a hard thrower, but his results have been ordinary and I'll take an everyday player for a reliever any day. The market for relievers is plentiful.

 

It wouldn't shock me if Pittsburgh brought back Adam LaRoche either. He doesn't figure to command all that much and no other team employs his brother. If that happened they could keep Jones in RF.

[dadofandrew]

If they deal him at the deadline, it might be a win for them. Other than that, they traded a hard thrower locked up for 5 years for a decent 2B who'll be long gone after this coming season. After their deadline maneuvers, which left them young and loaded with young talent, it's a puzzler. They will not close to contending, so it's either about the possible reward for dealing him or the long-term plan is in doubt.

[JoeHova]

why would trading a fungible reliever for a good veteran mean that their plan is in doubt? upgrading talent for a minimal price is always smart unless it keeps them from making another, bigger move. I don't see why they can't afford to pay an above average player less than $5 million so I don't see why this would mean that they have given up on the future. It's really a ridiculous sentiment to imply that they have because they acquired a good, cheap player.

[RobertR]

It looks like Iwamura is worth more than he costs. Maybe the Rays see something in Chavez, but it looks like the Pirates upgraded their team at a reasonable price. Considering Young is supposed to be brutal defensively, by reputation, I don't see the issue with it as a stopgap move. I tend to believe it's helpful for young pitchers to have good defense around them, as it encourages good pitching habits and discourages nibbling.

 

Heck, Craig Counsell started a year at SS for the Brewers during the rebuilding phase. I fully agree that the move doesn't move them any closer to a championship quality team. OTOH, they still have to play games in the meantime, they're still going to have a very small payroll, and if management wants to put a slightly better product on the field, perhaps at slightly less profit, I have a hard time arguing against that.

 

Robert

[Invader3K]

Have to love this quote from Iwamura: "I'm definitely interested in the long term, but I first have to do what I can do. We'll see what happens. Hopefully, we can go to the playoffs next season."