FoxSports’ Ken Rosenthal and John Paul Morosi report that the Rays will get right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez in return from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Akinori Iwamura.
Chavez appeared in 73 games last season for the Pirates, accumulating a 1-4 record and 4.01 ERA.
The first thing I wonder anytime the Rays add a reliever is whether the guy has a chance to be a closer. In this case, it would appear that Chavez would not be a candidate to close. NBC Sports’ Matthew Pouliet says “the odds are against him developing into a legitimate setup man” let alone a closer.
