Seriously, if Jim Thome was even considering playing first base for the Philadelphia Phillies until Ryan Howard got better, he had another thing coming. Like hip surgery.
The Colorado Rockies have no use for Ty Wigginton anymore, so they traded him away to the Phillies for some cash or a player to be named later. Not a bad deal for Philly though either, considering all they have to pay the guy is $2 million next season, half of his salary.
Of course, he can't be considered a full-time first baseman either, that would be a disaster. The team is planning on using a platoon of like four guys to play the position, including John Mayberry Jr. and Ben Francisco, and maybe even a little Jim Jam here and there... even though he hasn't worn a glove for like four years.
However, the beauty of Wigginton is that he can play absolutely anywhere all over the infield. He'll be a pretty nice right-handed bat off the bench and a decent replacement for anyone needing a break around the diamond.
The 34-year-old utility player, who is most definitely in the twilight of his career, produced for the Rockies until about mid-season, but finished with a .242 average, 15 homers and 47 RBI. Apparently, that is just not going to get it done in Colorado, so he's been effectively replaced by Jordan Pacheco, who is a decade younger with a better batting average. It will be interesting to see what they end up doing with that extra $2 million this winter, whether it's acquiring another arm for the rotation, or possibly going after Martin Prado to be their everyday second baseman.
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