Tampa Bay Rays Send 2B Akinori Iwamura to Pirates for RHP Jesse Chavez

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports announced Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Rays have sent 2B Akinori Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Jesse Chavez. While trades are generally encouraged to wait until after the completion of the World Series by MLB officials to avoid distraction, details of the trade were leaked Tuesday with an official announcement by the clubs to be expected in the next 24 hours. Tampa Bay had perpetual bullpen issues throughout the 2009 campaign, one year removed from earning their first AL championship crown with the help of a bullpen that amassed an ERA of 3.55 going into the postseason, good enough to be fifth in the league. In 2009, the bullpen had swollen to a 3.90 ERA, still good enough for fourth in the American League, but the Rays' playoff chances imploded when they fell into an 11-game losing streak in which the bullpen took six of the losses. Iwamura missed much of 2009 with an ACL injury suffered in May. The Rays' talented ... (link)