Rumor: Iwamura To Pirates For Chavez

Let's start a pool: how long before July 31, 2010, will Iwamura be dealt to a contending team?

over 2 years ago Al Yellon 20 comments 0 recs |

Comments

I'll place my betting chip on

he stays with the Pirates because he’s not good enough or healthy enough to be dealt.

Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.

by DGU on Nov 3, 2009 5:19 PM CST reply actions

Agreed....

I feel for Pirates fans though. Why in the hell do the Pirates want to give Iwamura $4 million bucks?

by Damen Jackson on Nov 3, 2009 6:02 PM CST up reply actions

They were in a bad spot with Akinori. Everyone knew he wasn’t going to be there, and realistically, he wasn’t that good. They needed some pen help, and in Jesse Chavez, they got a decent pen arm with good fastball life and a solid enough secondary pitch. He’s somewhat comparable to Angel Guzman.

For the Pirates, if they are okay with the money, it’s actually not that bad a gamble for them for one year. Delwyn Young was average at 2nd and they have a bevy of young pen arms.

Still … at that monetary cost, I prefer this deal easily for the Rays.

by toonsterwu on Nov 3, 2009 7:01 PM CST reply actions

Something tells me the Rays are after Bobby Jenks

Don’t be surprised by a move of this sort at the winter meetings. Kenny Williams and Ozzie seem perfectly content to make Matt Thornton the new closer of the Sox. And with nearly $40 million coming off the books in the form of Thome, Dye, Dotel and Contreras they have some money to spend as well, even after the big splash of Peavy and the move to get Rios.

"Cubs will win 79 to 83 games." BLou (7/21/09)

by BLou on Nov 3, 2009 9:53 PM CST up reply actions

as a fa

I could see Maddon take that gamble, if Jenks salary comes down. Can’t see them doing a trade, though. Money would be the biggest factor.

One gamble I could see them ponder is Billy Wagner, assuming the Red Sox let him go. Another possibility might be to swing a deal for Heath Bell. There’s some others – it’s a decent FA pen market.

by toonsterwu on Nov 3, 2009 10:41 PM CST up reply actions

Iwamura is a Gamer.....

Whatever the BCB know-it-alls can say he is a gamer and a player when healthy can provide 200+ hits. Not only his plus defensive skills, he’s a player who find’s a way to get on base any way possible. Not only is he exactly the player the Cubs need who is unselfish but he can also set up our big 3 for possible big stats and big innings!

I know some of you want a glamour player at every position but this is exactly the player when healthy can provide a big inning with his unselfish ability to get on base.

I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT

by cubsluver22 on Nov 3, 2009 7:22 PM CST reply actions

I don't consider myself a "know-it-all" but 200+ hits?

In 2008, 627 AB’s he had 172 hits. He is not and will not ever be a 200+ hit guy.

by rlpete on Nov 3, 2009 7:51 PM CST up reply actions

Notice I said when healthy!!!!

He was on the 60 day DL with a Knee Injury!!!

I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT

by cubsluver22 on Nov 3, 2009 8:23 PM CST up reply actions

ripete referenced his 2008

numbers. He played a full season last year.

by toonsterwu on Nov 3, 2009 8:24 PM CST up reply actions

Please note, he had 627 AB's that year

How many AB’s do you want to give him to get 200 hits?

by rlpete on Nov 4, 2009 8:41 AM CST up reply actions

I don't see the need for a glamour player at each position

But here’s my question – what did Aki Iwamura bring to the table that would’ve made a difference in 2010? Because such a move is essentially a move for the near term. I mean, as depth, fine, but that would’ve been expensive for depth..

But what does Akinori Iwamura offer as a starter? He walks a tiny bit more than Theriot, but strikes out a lot more. Fukudome walks a bit more than Iwamura. Iwamura’s O-swing % before this year was around 18% – similar to Theriot and Fukudome. Maybe you buy that the sample size this year was enough to show that Iwamura had improved. Fine. But his contact percentages are lower than Theriot’s and similar to Fukudome. Iwamura doesn’t really add speed to this lineup. He doesn’t add power.

I’m sure someone can give a more thorough analysis, and maybe there’s something I’m missing in the numbers. That said, to me, Akinori’s a decent player, a starter on some teams, but I’m not sure what he would’ve added to this team. What he does offensively, we would seem to have two close enough guys already. To me, he’s basically on that Theriot level of talent – a guy that can start but isn’t a good starter. As noted, as depth, fine, I would’ve been okay with it, but the salary was too high for a depth player.

If he had been a FA, okay, that might’ve been a different story. If they had cut him loose, sure that would be an option to ponder. But if they’d come and asked for an Angel Guzman, would you have done that deal? The comparison between Angel Guzman and Jesse Chavez isn’t that far off. I’d take Angel over him, as I think Angel’s fastball is better, but I don’t think it’s by all that much at this point in time.

Short of it is, I would’ve prefer keeping Baker at 2nd over adding Iwamura. At least Baker has the potential of addressing some offensive issues with some pop.

by toonsterwu on Nov 3, 2009 8:23 PM CST up reply actions

Agree

He’s not a bad ballplayer but trading Guzman for him and having yet another second baseman doesn’t make sense to me.

by rlpete on Nov 4, 2009 8:43 AM CST up reply actions

Sorta agreed

Iwamura is a good ballplayer, period.

"Cubs will win 79 to 83 games." BLou (7/21/09)

by BLou on Nov 3, 2009 9:50 PM CST up reply actions

So you're saying he plays with "extreme heart"?

Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.

by daver on Nov 4, 2009 9:38 AM CST up reply actions

He had an EHAR

of +15 last year.

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." ~ Frank Sinatra

by DMCub on Nov 4, 2009 1:17 PM CST up reply actions

Knew I should've picked him up for my guys-who-play-with-heart-only fantasy league.

Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.

by daver on Nov 4, 2009 2:23 PM CST up reply actions

David Eckstein is commissioner of that league, right?

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Nov 4, 2009 2:34 PM CST up reply actions

Yep. And he goes in the first round every year.

Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.

by daver on Nov 4, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

According to MLBTR...

it’s a done deal

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." ~ Frank Sinatra

by DMCub on Nov 4, 2009 9:37 AM CST reply actions

This is a good move for the Pirates

The stars sort of have to all align for Pittsburgh to be good, but I think Huntington has put them in the position to be decent in 2010. I’m not saying they’ll contend, but if McCutchen, Milledge, and LaRoche can step up, and wonderboy Garret Jones plays well, this team is fairly solid at every position. I could see Pedro Alvarez coming up in July, playing first base, and making the Pirates an exciting young team. Will they be great in 2010? No, but they shouldn’t be terrible, and they could be good in a few years.

I think Iwamura just increases the chances that much more of the team being respectable in 2010. I think as much as Huntington needs to be staunch in building for the future, a move like this keeps him from losing the fan base completely. And with the TINY payroll, 5 Mil for an above average second baseman isn’t killing them. They didn’t really give up anything that will harm the future either, so once again, I applaud Mr. Huntington.

by Bradsbeard on Nov 4, 2009 12:24 PM CST reply actions