The Orioles have had themselves quite the busy offseason. They've made about 23 trades with the Cubs (OK, so it was only two), and they've also managed to theoretically trade Brian Roberts about ten times. Perhaps more important than any move they've made to bring players in, though, they also managed to sign Nick Markakis to a contract extension a few weeks ago.Now they've gone and made another addition to the team, as they've signed free agent Ty Wiggington to a two-year deal pending a physical.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail declined comment about the move when reached Tuesday morning. Wigginton will undergo a physical examination later in the week before being introduced to the media. The veteran can play second base and both the infield and outfield corners, enhancing the flexibility on the bench.The deal is reportedly worth a total of $6 million over the next two seasons. Now there may be some questions as to why the Orioles would sign Wiggington given that their four infield positions are pretty much set, and the same can be said of their outfield with the team seemingly set on Markakis, Adam Jones, and Felix Pie.
Odds are though that the team is planning on using Wiggington as a utility player off the bench to back up both Aubrey Huff at first base and Luke Scott as the DH when the team faces lefties. Wiggington hit .340 with an OPS of 1.055 against lefties last season where as Scott only managed to hit .215 with a .702 OPS.
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I still dont think the orioles have enough pitching or power to catch anybody in the american league.
Hats off to the O's. I think this was a really good deal for them. It gives them alot of versatility and a good vet. They have a long way to go and obviously this is not going to be anything special but at least they are starting to build their organization up. I know O's fans don't want to hear it but Roberts needs to be dealt if they can find the right deal. Andy is starting to get things turned somewhat so there is a glimmer of hope.