Colorado Rockies Trade Utility Player Ty Wigginton to the Philadelphia Phillies

According to the Colorado Rockies‘ official team Twitter account, they have traded utility man Ty Wigginton to the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Wigginton’s acquisition by the Phillies means in all likelihood that the team has given up in their pursuit of free-agent outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who was most recently with the Minnesota Twins. 

Wigginton is a journeyman by MLB standards. In his ten MLB seasons, he has been on seven different teams, including the Mets, Pirates, Rays (as the Devil Rays), Astros, Orioles, Rockies and now the Phillies.

Wigginton is a solid pickup for the Phillies because he can play multiple positions and has a lot of power, which will be accentuated in the bandbox that the Phillies call home, Citizens Bank Park. Last season, Wigginton hit 15 home runs in 401 at-bats, playing most of the Rockies’ games at third base.

A veteran run producer like Wigginton is someone that the Phillies desperately need in their lineup. The team’s offensive struggles towards the end of the season and in the playoffs were much maligned, and Wigginton helps solve that problem. 

In his last full season (2010), Wigginton played 154 games and hit 22 home runs with 76 RBIs for Baltimore. This is the productive, veteran player Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro was looking for when he pulled the trigger on this trade.

The main thing that kept the Phillies from defeating the eventual World Series-champion St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 NLDS was their hitting. The team’s pitching staff was amazing, but their cornerstones in the lineup—Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Shane Victorino—just didn’t get the job done when it was most important.

This trade shakes things up a bit in Philly, and it looks to supplement that sometimes-stagnant Phillie lineup.

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