The Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday traded second baseman Akinori Iwamura to Pittsburgh for right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez.

"We've got areas we really need to try to address," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, specifically mentioning the bullpen and catcher as priorities this offseason.

Tampa Bay had bullpen issues throughout the 2009 season and were seeking a reliever in return. Chavez was 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 73 appearances this year.

"Pittsburgh has been all over us for about a month," Friedman said.

Major League Baseball generally discourages the completion of such transactions until after the World Series. (The Yankees and Phillies will play Game 6 on Wednesday.)

Iwamura was a key player in Tampa Bay's surprise run to the 2008 American League pennant but missed much of 2009 with an injury. The Rays' middle infield depth — Jason Bartlett, Ben Zobrist, Reid Brignac and the recently-acquired Sean Rodriguez — made him expendable.

The Rays held a $4.25 million option on Iwamura for 2010, with a $250,000 buyout. Rather than pay the buyout, a trade enables the Rays to save cash and get a player in return.

Iwamura hit .290 with one homer and 22 RBIs in 69 games during the final season of a $7.7 million, three-year contract he signed after playing in the Japanese Central League for eight years.

"He is a good athlete with above-average speed and is a tough out with a solid career on-base percentage," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "Additionally, he played Gold Glove-caliber third base for years in Japan and has made a smooth transition to second base."

Chavez led Pittsburgh and all major league rookies with 73 appearances in 2009, going 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 67 1/3 innings. He was taken in the 42nd round in 2002 by Texas.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.