AFBlue
11-04-2009, 04:43 PM
In a move that saved the Rays $500K and freed up over $4M to address other holes, the Rays traded 2B Aki Iwamura to the Pirates for Jesse Chavez, a hard-throwing right handed reliever.
What the Rays received in return is likely to be a back story to what the flexibility of trading Aki provides.
First and foremost, with the emergence of Ben Zobrist as an everyday player and the acquisition of Sean Rodriguez from the Angels (see: Kazmir deal), the Rays are well positioned to backfill Iwamura's production on offense and not give up much on defense.
Second, the Rays need to decide what to do with the lackluster production from their bullpen, catcher, and DH positions. They're likely stuck with Burrell at DH, but the other two will likely be addressed through free agency, which requires $$$. And money is not something the Rays have an abundance of.
At the outset it certainly doesn't appear to be a "win" for the Rays, but all things considered I'm not sure you could call it a loss.
The next domino to fall...what happens with Carl Crawford this off-season?
What the Rays received in return is likely to be a back story to what the flexibility of trading Aki provides.
First and foremost, with the emergence of Ben Zobrist as an everyday player and the acquisition of Sean Rodriguez from the Angels (see: Kazmir deal), the Rays are well positioned to backfill Iwamura's production on offense and not give up much on defense.
Second, the Rays need to decide what to do with the lackluster production from their bullpen, catcher, and DH positions. They're likely stuck with Burrell at DH, but the other two will likely be addressed through free agency, which requires $$$. And money is not something the Rays have an abundance of.
At the outset it certainly doesn't appear to be a "win" for the Rays, but all things considered I'm not sure you could call it a loss.
The next domino to fall...what happens with Carl Crawford this off-season?