Thus the 2009 trade season begins for Baseball

[thunder_alley1984]

This is from the AP ticker and the Royals have made it official on their end. Funny how the Sox decline the option for Dye who they got from KC and now they take Teahen away! Dayton Moore may have been good with Atlanta but unless he gets the Royals winning he is a BITCH. Hopefully this dumbass drops Jose Guillen and gets KC a real right fielder. What's next? Dejesus gonna be forced out as well?

Royals trade Teahen to White Sox

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CHICAGO(AP) —The Chicago White Sox have acquired infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen(notes) in a trade from the Kansas City Royals for infielders Chris Getz(notes) and Josh Fields(notes). The White Sox also get cash considerations.

Teahen batted .271 with a 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 144 games with the Royals in 2009. He made 99 starts at third base, 31 in right field and three at second.
Getz, who became Chicago’s starting second basemen, batted .261 with two homers, 31 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 107 games last season.
Fields, a former college quarterback at Oklahoma State, appeared in 29 games and batted .222 with seven homers and 30 RBIs last season.
The trade was announced shortly after the White Sox said they had declined a 2010 option on right fielder Jermaine Dye(notes).

[Avi24]

Add another trade: Twins acquire J.J. Hardy from the Brew Crew for Carlos Gomez. Surprised that Gomez got dealt since he was the centerpiece from the Santana deal.

[thunder_alley1984]

Twins are slowly falling apart. I heard that they are way over budget for 2010.

[FFighter_21]

The Pirates beat them both, w/their own dumb trade a few days ago.........after dumping Freddie Sanchez, who was willing to take a home team discount, then they trade a good middle relief guy for this second baseman. If they had a lead once in awhile they might need a middle reliever!

Bucs acquire Rays' Iwamura for Chavez

Second baseman addresses one of club's biggest needs

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Bucs trade for Iwamura
Duration: 00:00:58
11.03.09: The Pirates acquire second baseman Akinori Iwamura from the Rays in exchange for reliever Jesse Chavez
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Akinori Iwamura, Pittsburgh Pirates, Jesse Chavez, Hot Stove, Tampa Bay Rays, analysis
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By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
11/03/09 10:35 PM EST
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington wasted no time addressing one of the team's most critical offseason needs, doing so before the Hot Stove season even officially began.
On Tuesday, the Pirates acquired second baseman Akinori Iwamura from the Rays in exchange for right-hander Jesse Chavez. The Pirates will take on Iwamura's $4.85 million salary in 2010, a dollar figure that actually makes Iwamura the Pirates' highest paid player at the moment. No cash changed hands in the deal.
"[I'm] very excited for the new challenge," Iwamura said, speaking from his home in Japan and through a translator. "[I'm] very appreciative."
With Iwamura in tow, the Pirates now have their immediate answer at second base. After trading away Freddy Sanchez in July, the Pirates were left with no strong internal replacements. Delwyn Young got his chance to be the team's everyday second baseman for the final two months, but even after intensive daily defensive work with infield coach Perry Hill, Young was not seen as the optimal choice for next season.
"It was a chance more to get an established player," Huntington said. "It returns Delwyn to a [bench] role that he's excelled at. Ultimately, we felt Iwamura was a better fit for long-term."
Young hit. .316 in 38 pinch-hit appearances in 2009.
Iwamura, 30, comes to Pittsburgh after hitting .281 with 103 RBIs in 344 career games over three seasons with the Rays. He spent his first season in the Majors as a third baseman, though the Pirates do not need to use him there.
Huntington said that ideally Iwamura would hit second in the batting order behind Andrew McCutchen. The left-handed hitter batted primarily from the leadoff spot in his first two seasons with the Rays before dropping to the bottom of the order in '09.
Iwamura was limited to only 69 games in '09 and needed left knee surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. Huntington said that the Pirates have not independently examined Iwamura's knee, but that all the medical reports suggest that there will be no lingering issues.
When asked about his knee Tuesday, Iwamura said it has not yet returned to full strength.
"I feel very good, but not 100 percent," he said. "[I'm] still in the rehabbing process right now. In the offseason, [I'll] continue to make progress with the knee. For next season, [I'll] be completely healthy."
According to Rays general manager Andrew Friedman, the Pirates began to show heavy interest in Iwamura in September. Huntington confirmed that Pittsburgh did have three different scouts watching the infielder during the final month of the season to assess his mobility and range, both of which were determined to be fine. Iwamura was wearing a large brace after surgery, and it hasn't yet been determined if that will be needed next season.
Though the Pirates now have their middle infield set with Ronny Cedeno at short and Iwamura at second, the club has lost one of its more consistent relievers with the departure of Chavez. Thrust into a late-inning role in his first full season in the Majors, Chavez finished with a 4.01 ERA in a team-high 73 appearances. He was especially effective against left-handed hitters, limiting them to .228 average in '09.
Ultimately, the Bucs' decision to deal Chavez, who would have been under team control for another five seasons, came down to the general unpredictability of relief pitching.
"It was tough to give up Jesse, but the bullpen is the most difficult area to predict future performance," Huntington said. "In our minds, it was much more difficult to find 600 quality plate appearances than 60 relief appearances."
Iwamura, on the other hand, could be in Pittsburgh for one season. His contract only runs through '10 and features a clause that guarantees he will become a free agent after the season. Huntington expressed interest in the potential of Iwamura staying in Pittsburgh longer if the relationship proves to be mutually beneficial.
"I think the reality is Iwamura is going to have to get comfortable with the city of Pittsburgh," Huntington. "As an organization, we would like to have that get-to-know-you process."
Said Iwamura: "[I'm] definitely interested for the long-term, but first [I] have to do what I can do. We'll see what happens."
Though the timing of this trade may seem odd considering the World Series is still in progress, the Rays and Pirates were working under an unusual timetable to get this deal done. Iwamura's contract required that his '10 option be exercised no later than one day after the end of the World Series or else Tampa Bay would have had to pay the infielder a $550,000 buyout. With the timing of this trade, the Pirates were able to exercise the option and the Rays were able to avoid paying the buyout or losing Iwamura altogether.
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[Aflac_99]

this was a great trade for the pirates! i was so happy when i heard it

[ODSpice14]

The Royals ought to just quit worrying about winning and build more rides and turn the stadium into WOrlds of Fun South

[themnkid]

Originally Posted by Avi24

Add another trade: Twins acquire J.J. Hardy from the Brew Crew for Carlos Gomez. Surprised that Gomez got dealt since he was the centerpiece from the Santana deal.

Yea. I was surprised at first too. Gomez never panned out & with the emergence of Denard Span the outfield was crowded. I think the main reason with him in the Santana trade was that the Twins just didn't want to deal him to the American league.

[selby92]

The Indians management must be upset, they don't have anymore Cy Young winners to trade.