Second baseman Akinori Iwamura was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for relief pitcher Jesse Chavez on November 3, 2009. Iwamura had a $4.85 million option for 2010, but with several other players in the organization who could fill the position, the Rays decided to part ways with Iwamura by trading him. Andrew Friedman, the Rays' Vice President of Baseball Operations, stated that it was "tough to put into words" what "Aki" meant to the Rays, who had been with the team since the 2006 season, and was the player who recorded the final out in the 2008 American League Championship Series that sent the Rays to their first World Series.