Iwamura has played the past three seasons with the Rays after
Iwamura has played the past three seasons with the Rays after nine years in Japan. The 30-year-old batted .290 with 19 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs in 69 games in '09, a season shortened by a left knee injury. Iwamura, a six-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star in Japan, signed a three-year deal with Tampa Bay on Dec. 15, 2006, that included a club option for '10. The Rays were expected to decline that option, so they opted to move Iwamura and add the 26-year-old Chavez, who is coming off his first full Major League season. Chavez led the Pirates with 73 appearances while posting a 4.01 ERA and a 47/22 K/BB ratio in 67 1/3 innings.
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