So much for Iwamura at 2B for the Nats... I still think Rizzo would rather sign Figgins, Hudson or Polanco instead of trading for someone...

(the ESPN.com article)

ESPN.com: Baseball

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sources: Pirates acquire Iwamura
ESPN.com news services

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been plugging holes after trades for years, but filling the Freddy Sanchez void proved difficult.

On Tuesday, the team agreed to acquire second baseman Akinori Iwamura from the Tampa Bay Rays for reliever Jesse Chavez on Tuesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Pirates tried to work out an extension with Sanchez before the trade deadline, but after he rejected their overture, the Pirates traded him to the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez just signed a two-year, $12 million deal with San Francisco.

Iwamura will earn $4.85 million for 2010, through a club option negotiated in his original contract.

After Iwamura was hurt early in the 2009 season, Ben Zobrist developed into an excellent alternative for the Rays. By making this deal, Tampa Bay saves the $650,000 buyout on Iwamura's contract -- which they would have had to have paid if they had just rejected Iwamura's contract option -- and they get a serviceable and cheap young pitcher in Chavez, who won't be eligible for arbitration until after the 2011 season.

When the Pirates traded Sanchez, a three-time All-Star, he was leading the team in hitting. Delwyn Young stepped in at second and batted .266 with seven homers and 43 RBIs, but he struck out 90 times in 354 at-bats.

Iwamura was batting .290 last season for the Rays in 69 games before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and missing the rest of the season. He was Tampa's everyday second baseman as they went to the World Series in 2008 and batted .274 with six homers, 48 RBIs and a .349 on-base percentage.

Chavez, a right-handed reliever, appeared in 73 games for the Pirates last season and had a 4.01 ERA.

Buster Olney covers MLB for ESPN The Magazine.

I thought Cadillac Bud did not want teams conducting trades during the World Series because he didn't want any team to deflect attention from the championship series which many people can never stay awake long enough into the night to watch anyway.

I wish they'd decide about the manager so they can make some player moves. As far as Hudson is concerned, I just don't see him coming here. He was never even asked for a physical. Figgins will garner a lot of interest as a supersub and again he has better options. Polanco is intriguing. I always thought he was good.

Bowden was the GM when the Hudson phantom physical happened.

I don't think Hudson will want to revisit it!

If it meant trading and paying him 4.85m, then I'm glad we didn't get him. I was expecting him to be an option after getting dropped by TB. Still going to be several legitimate options.

>>"I don't think Hudson will want to revisit it!"

I'm not saying that's who we should sign or not, but it's worth pointing out that he said last off-season that he wanted to play in DC, and now that we have quality management at the GM level, and an experienced manager that the players respect and want to play for, that desire may actually be stronger.

who is the manager we have?

>>"who is the manager we have?"

I've already hired Riggleman, just waiting for the WS to end.

:)

LOL Riggs did a fine job and all signs point to him unless Rizzo's opinion of Melvin is higher than we think. I also don't know what type of salary range Melvin is looking for. Hudson while he played for the Jays was a vacuum cleaner at 2B so it would definitely improve our defense. One thing kinda bothers me is that he lost the 2B job to Belliard. Belliard got hot and Torre said he wanted to go with the hot hand.