UPDATE: The Pirates will acquire infielder Akinori Iwamura from the Rays in exchange for reliever Jesse Chavez, SI.com has learned.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are close to dealing infielder Akinori Iwamura to an unknown team. The Rays do not plan to pick up Iwamura's 4.85 million dollar option, especially after the emergence of Ben Zobrist at second base, so moving him now before their window to re-sign closes on Friday sped up the trade talks.
The Dodgers and Cubs have been linked to Iwamura lately, but the source informed the Times that it is not either or those teams.
So who could it be?
Iwamura is a career .281 hitter with a career .354 on-base percentage. He has the ability to play second and third base, and hit at the top or bottom of the order.
Some NL teams that could be in on Iwamura include the Diamondbacks, Pirates, Astros, and Marlins. If the Brewers don't plan on pursuing Felipe Lopez this offseason, they could be a possible destination as well.